Sonja's Tale
by SilverWings211
Summary: Sonja Walker is a childhood friend of Yusei and the others -but she's actually from New Domino City. She's actually more important than any of them know -she bears the 6th Mark of the Dragon.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the YU-GI-OH series -just a really big fan

I've had this idea going around in my head for a while -tell me what you think!

i'm not very good at Duelling descriptions, so you're going to have to know 5Ds quite well and use your imagination. main character doesn't really Duel during the first Arc. lot more in the second arc, promise!

Sonja's the only OC at the moment -the only thing I own in this story. oh and so is the idea of a 6th Signer. how many of you have noticed that the Crimson Dragon when seen in episode 42 is clutching something that looks like a heart in one of its claws? that's were i got the idea of another sign that represents a Dragon's heart from.

story is broken into three arcs, like the anime

(1) the first ends at the finale of the Fortune Cup

(2) the second is an adaption of the Dark Signers arc, with adaptions to fit the 2010 Reverse of Arcadia game

(3) the third -not to sure where the anime is going, so going to hold off on that.

* * *

"C'mon, Sonja!" a boy shouted impatiently from the yard. Sonja hurried down the stairs, grabbing the Duel Disk that she had fixed with the help of her friends. It was an old KC model, used a couple of lifetimes ago, but it still functioned as well as her friends' more modern ones.

The ginger-haired Crow was considered something of a rebel, even among the Satellites. The two had known one another for over thirteen years, and had started Duelling each other as soon as they had mastered the rules. The score was even for now.

Crow used a Deck of the Black Feathers series, made up of birds and humanoids wearing suits of feathers. In fact, his name had come from those Black Feathers. He was a constant troublemaker, with Marks on his forehead and cheeks, in and out of the Re-Education Centre and Facility for multiple years. But he never learnt the lesson Security was trying to teach.

Sonja, on the other hand, avoided trouble as much as she could, and although that was difficult in the Deduclus Bridge District of the Satellite she had managed it. It was there that the vast majority of marked criminals gathered in gangs after returning to the Satellite from the Facility. Only the best Duellists could pass through the district without having to pay a toll of cards. Her own Deck was based around power and finishing the Duel as quickly as possible.

The two headed to the derelict building where they stored their Duel Runners. The motorbike-like racers were forbidden in the Satellite, only supposed to be used by the Securities. The in-built Duel Disks allowed the rider to Duel while on the move, a style that was known as Turbo Duelling. In these high-speed Duels, the 'Speed World' field spell limited the rider to using Speed Spells, which only activated depending on the number of Speed Counters they had.

Crow and Sonja had been working on their own Duel Runners for a couple of years now, ever since their friend, Yusei Fudo, had decided to go the City after an ex-friend of theirs who had taken Yusei's first Duel Runner and favourite card. Now Jack Atlas was New Domino's Turbo-Duelling King.

Sonja pulled the blanket off her Duel Runner, running her hand over the bonnet. Hers was purple with streaks of red. She had attached wings to streamline it, and increase her accuracy around the corners.

It was certainly more colourful than Crow's. His was pure black, with a single streak of red along the sides from bonnet-tip to the rear boosters. He had named it Blackbird –somewhat of an appropriate name. Crow had actually attached wings that could extend from the sides, allowing him to fly –quite literally.

Despite their apparent differences, they were two of the toughest Satellites around, the duo with a lot of powerful contacts, who commanded respect from even the hardiest criminals. They had constantly out-Duelled Sector Security even while the majority of Duellists were defeated, rounded up and thrown into the Facility. They were very good friends.

"How's Blackbird looking?" Sonja asked, picking up a wrench from the bench in between the two Runners.

"Pretty good," Crow said, flipping the bonnet and fiddling with the engine. "All I need now is a CPU chip."

"Yeah, me too," Sonja replied. "I suppose I should go shopping. Do you have a preference?"

"Nope," Crow replied. "Take care, Sonja. Don't go smudging that perfect record of yours by getting a Mark like mine."

"Don't worry," Sonja laughed. "I'm not as reckless as you."

Crow's record came from the fact that he was often caught stealing cards from the Security Impound Centre's vaults. But he was getting faster, and was finding ways in and out without being detected. Blackbird was equipped, in theory, with wings that would enable him to clear the chasm between the Upper and Deduclus Bridge Districts, a jump no other Duel Runner could make.

Sonja tugged on her coat and gloves, leaving the building for the rickety bridge that was the only way across to the Upper District. It was there that the majority of the recycling plants were found, employing hundreds of Satellites to recycle the garbage that came through the pipeline from the City. The Satellites had been used for generations by the City with no real return. There was a divide between the City's residents and the Satellites, and it was more than the fact that the Satellite was separated from the City and mainland by water.

It was also where the black markets were assembled. It was here that mechanic devices, chips and cards could be bought and sold. Of course, Satellites were forbidden to carry cards, but Sector Security had a hard time of enforcing the rules. The majority of cards that Satellites found were in the many junkyards, in amongst the rubbish that came from the City.

All the Satellites shared the same dream: to one day leave the plains of rubbish and head into the City. Across the sea lay the mainland with its almost limitless possibilities and wealth. Yusei, Crow and Sonja believed in that dream so much they had assembled strong Decks and built Duel Runners. After all, Jack Atlas had managed to leave the Satellite; if he could, why not them?

The bridge across the deep void creaked as Sonja stepped onto it. This journey required concentration as sharp as a carving knife. One false move and a person was said to plummet into the chasm.

She went slowly, knowing she had time. Sector Security had no files on her, would never know that she was crossing from the dangerous uncontrollable Deduclus Bridge District into the Upper District, where she would be easier to pick up –if they could out-Duel her. They wouldn't even know she had crossed.

At last she stepped onto the welcome solid ground on the far side of the bridge. She was now in the Upper District.

She had heard the expression 'the grass is greener on the other side of the hill' over in the Deduclus Bridge District, referring to the Upper District. In personal opinion, however, Sonja thought it should refer to the District she had come from. Sure, the Deduclus Bridge District was full of thugs who would rob as soon as they saw you, but it was the one District that no Security would dare to enter. They had the greatest freedom of all the Satellite Districts.

Here in Upper District, a ten o'clock curfew was in place, and regular Security patrols were in effect. Most of the people worked from dawn to dusk in the recycling plants, producing energy that was sent back to the City. More people had to live by the rules.

The black market was a place full of bric-a-brac valuable goods, either stolen or hidden from police searches, and some were built by hand. Even late at night, people gathered to buy and sell whatever they could.

Sonja walked in amongst the stalls, looking for any sign of even the most pathetic CPU chips until she saw a stand obviously boasting of chips of all makes and years. She walked over to the dealer.

"What have you got?" she asked. The man brought out a case of chips, and Sonja let her eyes roam over them. She caught her breath when she saw two Skyline chips –they were the best acceleration chips out there, but they were incredibly expensive. She simply couldn't afford them, even at black-market price.

The man was studying her face as she examined his merchandise. "See anything that interests you?" he asked.

"Not today," Sonja said, and turned to walk away. The man grabbed her arm.

"You're Sonja Walker, aren't you? The Phoenix," he hissed. She turned around. The man looked awed and a little spooked. "I've heard of you. You're supposed to be one of the toughest in the Deduclus Bridge District."

"What does that matter?" Sonja asked. She didn't know her name was whispered in the Upper District, and she had never realised she was called 'the Phoenix' before. The man was suddenly all business.

"I'm sure we can do a deal," he said, motioning for her to draw closer. They put their heads together. "I saw the way you looked at those Skylines. Normally, I'd sell them for $500 each. But I'm willing to cut it down to $5 for you."

"What's the catch?" Sonja asked, somewhat wary of a possible trap. When a black-market dealer cut a price for someone, there was always a catch. And it wasn't always pleasant.

"That's perfectly simple," the dealer smiled, holding out a card. "I want to see you participating in this."

"Participating in what?" Sonja asked, reaching out to take the card.

It was an invitation to Duel in an Underground Tournament:

THE FIRST-STEP TOURNAMENT AWAITS A SELECT EIGHT. PRESENTATION OF THIS CARD PROVIDES ENTRY INTO TOURNAMENT

SEVEN FUN-FILLED DUELS AWAIT AND THE WINNER WILL BE THE UNCONTESTED SATELLITE'S SHOOTING STAR! REWARD MONEY OF $140,000.

(FINAL TO BE A CAGE MATCH SHOWDOWN)

ANTE RULES IN EFFECT

Sonja was somewhat uneasy about the Underground Duellists. They were said to be the toughest of the tough in the Satellite, with no regards for Duelling besides humiliating their opponents. There were rumours that newcomers were crushed by the brute force, especially if it was a cage-match.

Then there was the fact that the old Ante rules would be in effect, giving the winner the right to take their opponent's most valuable card. On one hand, it was an awesome idea because the winner would get a super-Deck made of the rarest cards in the entire game. But on the other hand, Sonja had spent ages on her Deck, putting it together card by card she had rescued from the scrap heaps; if she slipped even once and lost, she would lose her most valued Card, not to mention her personal favourite.

Still there was a title, and a large sum of reward money.

"There're rumours circulating that reps from the City's Underground Arenas will be here," the dealer said. "That's why it's called the First-Step Tournament –the first step to leaving the Satellite, the first step towards Duelling professionally."

"Alright, it's a deal," Sonja said, making her decision. The salesman grinned at her.

"Smart choice," he said. "So, you want anything?"

"The two Skylines," Sonja said, pulling a $10 bill from her pocket. It had taken her weeks of hard work at the factories in the Upper District to earn even that small sum of money.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the man said, handing over the chips with a grin on his broad face. Sonja left the market and stepped out into the road.

She knew Yusei spent a great deal of his time in this District, and it had been a long time since she had seen him. The friends had long ago received his co-ordinates, and now she pulled the sat-nav device out of her pocket and punched in the co-ordinations. Almost at once, a map of the slums popped up, a red beep appearing over the entrance to an abandoned subway tunnel.

She descended into the darkness of the abandoned subway station. She clambered over the broken ticket barriers and walked towards what she knew was a hideout. It was a corner of the station that Yusei had thrown a canvas around, equipping it with rugs, couches, and a TV screen. There was a laptop sitting on the desk, and the noise of a Duel was echoing from the TV onto the walls of the tunnels.

And parked in pride of place was Yusei's second Duel Runner. It was red with white streaks, and it looked as fast as it was mean.

"Are you down here, Yusei?" Sonja called as she approached. When she peered around the curtain, she saw Yusei's closest friends sitting watching the screen.

"Hi, Sonja," one of them hailed her. Rally dressed like a girl and looked like one as well, but he was one of the guys who had known Yusei for years. Blitz, the mega-cool member of the gang that rooted for Yusei, was there too, and so were the ever-jumpy Nervin and the rather negative Tank.

Sonja had known them as long as she had known Jack and Yusei, and had grown up with them.

She saw then what was on the screen: Jack Atlas about to lap the man he had defeated to become New Domino City's latest Champion, a re-run of the latest rematch that had ended in a second defeat for the ex-Champion.

"Does Yusei know you're watching this?" she asked.

"No, he's out collecting a few things," Tank said. "He's going through tonight."

"He's actually planning to go through the tunnel?" Sonja asked, amazed. Sonja had heard her friend talk about following Jack to the City, planning to get his precious Stardust Dragon card back, for years. But she couldn't believe he was actually going ahead with it. "He does know what'll happen if he gets caught, doesn't he?"

"Yusei knows all about the Facility," Nervin said. "But since when has he ever been cautious?"

"Man, I hope he gets through alright," Sonja said. It was a dream of hers as well, to leave the Satellite and make a real name for herself. Everyone who could Duel here thought of the promise of freedom, of leaving some way for the City. But there was one thing to take into account: Satellites were not allowed to set one foot in the City without official permission, let alone Duel there.

A few minutes later, there were footsteps and the four hurried to turn off the TV and the sight of Jack Duelling as a Champion before Yusei saw it.

Yusei pushed aside the cover over the doorway, and smiled when he saw Sonja. They had been Duelling each other for years, building Duel Runners that they knew were illegal and planning their own ways of making life difficult for the policing Sector Security.

He was tall, as thin as a rake, with raven hair he had spiked and dyed streaks of it gold. His blue eyes shone from underneath his hair that partially fell down into his face. He looked much older than his seventeen years.

"Hi, Sonja," he said. "Long time no see."

"Hi," Sonja said. "Your Duel Runner's looking slick. I thought I'd drop by to say goodbye, and good luck. I hear you're heading for the City tonight."

"Yeah," Yusei said. "It should be a piece of cake."

Suddenly there was the twirling of copter blades.

"What the hell's Sector Security doing here?" Nervin asked as he and the others emerged from the hideaway.

"Do not move," said a voice as it boomed through a mega-phone at the entrance. "You are surrounded. You are suspected of possessing stolen property. There's no chance of escape."

The gang turned on Rally.

"What have you done this time?" Blitz asked. Sonja got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Rally's not to blame," she said, producing the Sky-lines.

"Where did they come from?" Blitz asked, gawping at them as Yusei took them.

"I got them from the black market," Sonja said. "But that doesn't explain why Sector Security was able to trace them."

"They're models with a code that allows them to be tracked by Sector Security," Yusei said as he tinkered with them. "I guess it's some sort of security against thieves. Luckily, I'll be able to disable that function."

"Thanks, Yusei," Sonja said, tucking them away when Yusei handed them over. "But how are we going to get out of the jam I got us in?"

"Rally and the rest will head off east, and we'll head for the bridge across the Chasm," Yusei said. As the others headed for a back route, he hurried to his Duel Runner, kicked it into life and waited until Sonja was on behind him before sending it flying forward.

They sailed over the barricade that the Sector Security operatives had erected and raced along the old highway that was now pitted and full of holes from the neglect it had suffered. It was no more than a racing track for those who had Duel Runners that they had either stolen or built.

A few minutes later, there was the sound of a wailing siren and the draft of rotors as they were chased by a helicopter.

"Pull over," someone shouted from behind, and they saw the officer known as Trudge bearing down on them.

Yusei ignored him, kicking the bike forward to the next gear, leaving the officer in a wave of dust and dirt. Still the sirens blared, but eventually they started to pull away.

Yusei pulled into an alley and killed the engine. The officer raced by, oblivious to the fact that his quarry was hiding down the alley.

"We'd better walk until they decide to call off the hunt, at least in this area," Yusei said. They clambered off and began to push it.

"Sorry about all this, Yusei," Sonja said as they walked.

"Don't worry about it," Yusei said. "I'll be out of here tonight, and hopefully it'll go smoothly. Besides, you're a friend –we're supposed to watch out for each other."

Sonja smiled at that.

"You seem to have my back more than the other way round," she said, trying to keep the envy out of her voice. It was true –Yusei was a much better Duellist than she'd ever be. And she'd lost count of the number of times he'd thrown the Securities for a loop for her.

"I said not to worry about it, didn't I?" Yusei said as they drew closer to the bridge.

"You can go," Sonja told Yusei as she saw the bridge though a gap in the buildings. She was nearly home.

"Alright," Yusei said, climbing back onto the Duel Runner. "Go well, Sonja."

"You too," Sonja said, making a run for the flimsy bridge as Yusei drove away.

She was focused on the bridge that she never saw the patrol car until it nearly crashed into her. She twisted out of the way and was on the bridge as she heard the car doors slam and heard the shouts as the two Sector Security enforcers gave chase.

She made it across and ran for it. She knew these streets as well as any other who lived in this area. And she was the only inhabitant who didn't demand a toll or have a permanent record.

She left them around a corner as several Duellists appeared out of nowhere to surround her, demanding a toll for passage through the area. She looked around; the Sector Securities had slowed down, seeing her surrounded and assuming that the criminals in this area would surrender the girl without a problem.

She located their leader, the largest and strongest of all with the most markers on his face, and beckoned for him to listen.

"How much is information worth?" she asked. "Does that count as a toll?"

"If the information's good," the leader said.

"They say the Sector Securities have the rarest cards of all," she said. "And look who's coming now."

The leader saw the approaching law-enforcers and signalled for his fellows to surround them while he kept a hold on Sonja. The gang cleared out the pockets of the Securities and the leader, deciding the pickings were good, released his grip on Sonja, who slunk into the shadows like a ghost.

She hurried to the garage where Crow was sitting on a box. He was delighted as the top-model of CPU chip sailed into his lap.

"Didn't you get any food?" he asked, earning an angry glare from Sonja. He raised his hands quickly. "I'm just joking!"


	2. Chapter 2

I do not any Yu-Gi-Oh series

OC is Sonja -i'll mention the rest when they pop up.

* * *

Sonja had never before suffered from nightmares or sleepless nights for years, but that night was the first for a while that she had woken before sunrise and couldn't sleep again.

In her dream, she had watched as Yusei and Jack had duelled in an illegal match at was recognisably the KaibaCorp Dome; Jack had summoned out both of their powerful dragons, Yusei's Stardust Dragon and Jack's Archfiend Dragon. Yusei had taken control of his own Dragon.

Then the most incredible thing had happened: both their arms burnt red in precise patterns and a huge red dragon had appeared out of nowhere, between the two fierce attacks.

It was only a few minutes after jolting awake that Sonja realised there was a bright red light coming from her own arm, the same hue as both of her friends'. She lifted aside her left-hand sleeve.

She had a birthmark on her left arm, in the shape of a diamond with five lines spreading out from the centre like shards of light. Two of those lines were shining a bright red. What did that mean?

Was it some sort of connection to both Yusei and Jack? And did it have any connection to her dream? Or it had been a vision?

But she didn't have the time to dwell on it now. Her Duel Runner was sitting in the garage, and she was anxious to try it out. She slipped on clean clothes and slipped down the stairs in the early morning light, leaving a note on the table to explain where she was.

As she opened the garage, she saw her Runner sitting where she had left it. She turned the engine on, and was rewarded by the shudder of the engine. Sonja zoomed out, into the early morning light. She was headed for an old racing track, abandoned after the Dome had been opened in what was now the City of New Domino.

Suddenly a black blur belted out of an alley and roared alongside her. Crow was sitting on his Duel Runner, a grin on his face.

"Couldn't wait to race?" he asked over the roar of the two engines. For answer, Sonja revved her Runner, which left Crow's Blackbird eating dust. He grinned: he loved it when Sonja challenged him like this. Plus he was eager to show equal speed and what Blackbird could do.

He urged the Duel Runner even faster, heading for a ramp over the Chasm that the two of them had constructed, into the Upper District. They thundered into the Old Dome, whipping around the track.

Sonja's concerns were whipped away as they went around the track. They were unaware of the huge crowd gathering, despite the early hours, to watch in amazement. Most of those in the Satellite had never seen a Duel Runner before, or at least not one that didn't belong to the Securities.

Crow was the first to notice the crowd. "How about we put on a show?" he asked, and Sonja nodded. Their first Turbo Duel began.

Crow unleashed a combo that ended with his summoning out his favourite Synchro Monster in one turn, a humanoid bird known as Blackwing –Armed Wing. It flew alongside Crow, with 2300 Attack and 1000 Defence Points. He ended his turn by summoning Gale the Whirlwind

"You know what I always say –birds of a feather flock together," he said, as he pulled up to Sonja. She laughed –that was his favourite saying.

"You show-off," Sonja said. She pulled ahead, knowing exactly what card to bring out. By summoning a low-level Blaze Inpachi from her hand before activating the Speed Spell Quick Summon, she Special Summoned the Hand of Nephthys before activating its special ability to Summon out her favourite. It wasn't a Synchro Monster, but it was powerful. It was the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys, a phoenix whose flames roared with red and golden colours as it appeared in holographic 3D, all 2400 Attack points and all. The crowd wooed in awe.

"Another bird for the flock," she said to Crow as her Sacred Phoenix burned brightly above them.

"Now who's showing off?" Crow asked.

"Pity, yours won't be around for too much longer!" Sonja said, and readied to order her attack on the weaker monster.

Suddenly there was a blaring of horns and wail of sirens from outside.

"Oh, come on," Crow groaned. "Not this early in the morning."

The two quickly disengaged the Duel Mode, ending the Duel prematurely, just as three Sector Security Duel Runners pulled into the Old Dome, right in front of the two. Sonja and Crow braked.

"Those Duel Runners are illegal," one of the officers said, and Sonja recognised Trudge right away. He had chased her and Yusei from the hide-out only the night before. "They will be confiscated and held at the Impound Centre in Domino City."

Crow and Sonja looked at each other, both thinking the same thing: they were not going to surrender the Duel Runners. They turned 360 degrees and sped through the exit. Trudge gave pursuit, ordering one operative to stay at the Dome in case they came back. The other Security followed his superior.

Sonja looked around and spotted them closing the gap.

"Looks like we've got a Duel coming up," she called out. Crow looked around, and grinned.

"Yeah, and we get to Duel Trudge on our brand-new Runners. Should be fun, eh?"

"This is Sector Security," Trudge shouted through his loudspeaker. "This is your last chance to comply. Pull over now and surrender."

"Trudge sounds pretty mad," Crow said.

"Yusei must have gotten through the Pipeline," Sonja said. "He must have been chased, and I bet Trudge was the one who got clobbered."

"Yusei got through to the City?" Crow asked. "And you didn't think to tell me about it last night?"

"Guess I forgot," Sonja said, shrugging.

Trudge watched as the two put on another burst of speed. He had a name for one of them: Crow, a marked troublemaker, with a record as flashy as that Duel Runner he was riding. But the girl was a mystery.

He had failed to catch Yusei when he had gotten through to the City, but the word was that he had been arrested and sent to the Facility. And now he was going to send these two to join him. It would be Crow's fourth time there.

He activated his Field World spell, forcing the two racers to activate their own Duel Modes. Now they would only escape if they could out-Duel him.

He laid a card face-down in defence mode, and laid a few spells face-down.

"Sonja, you have first shot," Crow said. Sonja laid out her own defence, a Big Shield Gardna. With 2600 Defense Points, it was a strong defence, and right now that's what they needed.

The other Security laid a second face-down monster.

"Securities and their cautious play," Crow said. In a matter of moments, his combo had kicked out and flipped one of the face-downs. It was pretty much a solid wall with 2000 Defence points. He took a knock for about 400 points.

"OK, strong defensive play," he corrected.

Trudge flipped over the other Security's card, exactly the same as his. Then he summoned a Tuner monster, using its ability to destroy Crow's Blackwing –Armed Wing.

"Hey!" Crow shouted as it vanished from the field.

"Next turn I call out the big guns!" Trudge shouted.

"Sonja, you'd better avenge my Blackwing!" Crow said.

Trudge smiled as he heard that name: so Crow's partner was called Sonja; it wasn't a common name, so it should be simple to track her home down –if she got away from this Duel.

Sonja pulled out another card: Radiant Mirror Force. It was a trap, activated on an opponent's attack, and would destroy all on the field in attack mode. But there was one catch: there weren't three monsters in attack mode on the Securities' field.

Still, it couldn't hurt to put it out. And at some point, if they could endure the hits that were surely coming, she could activate it. She placed it face-down on the field.

There was another card in her hand that could prove useful: Scrap-iron Scarecrow. It was one of Yusei's favourites, and he had given her one of the many copies he had collected. Now, if ever, they needed to avoid attacks, and this card was one way to evade one attack per turn.

The second Security placed a card in attack mode, a monster called Search Striker.

Then it was Crow's turn. He had no idea what Sonja was preparing, but he trusted her. He used a Monster Reborn spell to bring back his lost Synchro monster, and waited.

Trudge did pull out the big gun next, adding another monster to the field and Synchro summoned a Goyo-Guardian. It launched an attack against Sonja's Big Shield Gardna, forcing it into attack mode and bringing it to his side of the field.

Sonja was next. She picked the X-Saber Gardna, one of the five X-Saber series. It was the perfect bait for an attack, weaker than any of the other monsters.

Her turn over, the next Security decided they had waited around long enough and went on the offensive. Sonja smiled as she flipped over her trap. All the monsters on the opposing side were destroyed, apart from the Gate Guardian that had been left in defence.

Crow grinned in delight. It was his turn, and he knew the second Gate Guardian was waiting. He had to crush that threat before he could knock a few points off.

"Go get them, Crow," Sonja grinned, knowing Crow had been preparing a surprise for the past few moves.

And sure enough, Crow combined his most powerful cards in a blistering combo, blowing out the Securities' engines, allowing the two to race over the ramp and into the relative safety of the District were no Security would dare to follow them unopposed.

Trudge punched the display on his Duel Runner. Why was it that all of Yusei's friends have a knack of causing trouble and getting away with it?

Then he switched on his computer, scrolling through the lists of names. Every worker had to fill in a report and photograph for ID reasons. Finally he found a hit: Sonja Walker was registered in the Upper District Oil Refinery. But there was nothing about personal background or family. As far as he could make it out, she was just another orphan.

Now he knew who he was looking for, but he had to find some way to keep an eye on her.


	3. Chapter 3

i do not own any Yu-gi-oh series

OK, Sonja is technically a resident of the Upper District (where Yusei and his friends live) but spends most of her time on the other end of the chasm. she's also been adopted. so two new faces-

Adam, who is supposed to keep an eye on her but ends up her friend.

and her foster father, Andrew Walker.

enjoy and review

* * *

Sonja had to be up early to get to the Upper District for work the next morning. As she crossed the bridge, a gang of bikers zipped around a corner. She knew them by sight: the troublemakers in the oil refinery. One was an ex-Underground Duellist from the City, Marked and monitored.

They ignored her, as ever; she was known as a wildcard for a reason: she may look harmless, but she was skilled with a Deck. In fact, she was one of the few the exiled actually avoided.

As she headed for the gates, she was joined by a boy who was a few years younger than she was. She had never seen him before.

"I'm Adam," the boy said as he fell into step beside her. "I'm due to start here."

"Sonja," she replied, not really interested in the boy. A lot of new workers were arriving, and he was just one of many. So why was he talking to her?

"You're Sonja Walker?" the boy said, his eyes going wide. "Oh, wow! I've heard that you're the best Duellist in the Deduclus Bridge District. So how about a Duel?" he asked, pulling out a Deck from his back pocket.

"No," Sonja said bluntly. Then she caught the look on the boy's face. "I'm sorry, kid, but the bell's about to ring. My father will kill me if I'm late in."

She broke into a run, and the boy followed. He had instructions from his father, too: follow Sonja and learn what he could. And maybe his dream of becoming a Sector Security agent would become a reality.

The bell rang as Sonja pushed open the gate. Technically, because she was inside the complex when the bell rang, she was on time. But even at a run, she was late to her station. In all, she could expect a grilling at some point in the day.

Adam was right beside her as she pulled on her grey top, showing the fact that she was high in the ranks, and pointed out a white one to Adam –the mark of a novice learning the ropes.

As she went on her first circuit of inspection, Adam was hauled off to start learning.

The oil refinery had barely changed in two hundred or so years, despite the bridge that had been built to connect the refinery to the platform a few miles out to sea. Regular inspection boats set sail from there every few months, mainly to check the platform's legs.

The actual refinery pumped in crude oil from the platform, cleaned and separated it before sending it through a closed pipeline to the City. Some was stored for the use of the workers, but it was a very small portion.

The refinery was also responsible for the plastics and other products based in oil. These they could sell on to the City for good money, which kept the refinery and platform operational and paid wages.

Although she was the daughter of the managing-director, Sonja had been appointed not out of favouritism but rather for her interest in mechanics. She was to inspect the mechanics and fix any problems.

Halfway through the morning, Sonja got the call she had been expecting and made her way to her adoptive father's lofty office.

"You were late in today," Edward Walker said when she shut the door.

"I was in when the bell rang," Sonja argued.

"But you were late to time in," her adoptive father said, swinging round in his chair to face her. Sonja couldn't argue with that, so she waited for the axe to fall.

"It wouldn't happen if you actually stayed here, in the Upper District," he said. "You really ought to stay with us. You're not an orphan anymore, Sonja. You have a mother and father who really care for you."

Sonja had had this same argument with him before, and it was one she never let him win. She knew she wasn't their real daughter, that she had been abandoned for some unknown reason at the age of about four on the orphanage doorstep. She thought of the matron as her mother and the children as her siblings.

"My friends are over there," Sonja said.

"Maybe Crow is, but what about Yusei and the rest of the gang?" Andrew asked. He recognised his daughter's stubbornness setting in. "Most of them are in the Upper District anyway."

"Obviously you haven't heard," Sonja said. "Yusei left for the City a couple of days ago. He went after Jack."

Andrew sighed: she was in with a crowd that was playing a very dangerous game against Sector Security. There was no denying that she could look after herself, and there was some power to her. Nevertheless, he worried for her health and safety. If she went and got herself caught with her friends...

She had never been well when she had been young. She had fallen mysteriously into a coma after Duelling Yusei at the age of seven, and had been unconscious for almost thirty weeks. She had had headaches and complained of voices whispering to her until the age of eleven. Since then, there had been nothing to worry about, but even after all these years, he still worried for her.

She wasn't about to come home, so he moved on to the other reason he had called her into his office.

"The refinery has been recruiting heavily, even on a volunteering basis," he said. "The newest arrival is an Adam Lewiston."

"Is that name supposed to mean anything to me?" Sonja asked.

"I suppose not," Andrew Walker said. "But he is the son of a Sector Security agent."

"Ouch," Sonja said. Many of the employees were Marked and hated Securities, or anyone remotely connected to them. And if Adam did have that connection, then he was in big-time trouble. "So if he's so well connected, why's he choosing to work in a Satellite oil refinery?"

"I have no idea, but I need you to take him under your wing. The workers respect your Duelling capability, and that gives you more authority than anyone else. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, no problem," Sonja said. "So, apart from my lateness and new duty as bodyguard, is there anything else?"

"No," Andrew said, turning back to his paperwork. "Thank you, Sonja."

Adam had been backed into a corner. Three thickset refinery workers were closing in on him, and the other workers were ignoring it, as though they were afraid.

The trio surrounding him were all marked criminals, wearing red jumpers. They had picked up on his white jumper the moment he had entered, and it wasn't long before his upbringing had got him in trouble.

As the largest raised a fist, a bronze dragon burst into holographic 3-D between the boy and the men. Adam recognised it as a Dragon monster, the Prime Material Dragon. They recoiled from the Duel Monster, looking around for the source. Sonja stood a few feet away, an old KC Mass Production Duel Disk attached to her arm. She stood out like a sore thumb in amongst the reds and browns of the workers.

"Don't you have work to get on with?" she asked the trio, and they scattered.

Sonja recalled her monster and folded her Duel Disk up before walking over to Adam "Sorry about that," she said, nodding to the trio who were sheepishly working now.

"Aren't Cards illegal here?" Adam asked, looking at her fully loaded Deck.

"Rules were always made to be broken," Sonja said. "We just find cards lying around and piece them together. And here, those who are good at Duelling control the others. It was the only way to cow those men before they beat the pulp out of you for being the son of a Security."

"So you know?" Adam said.

"Yes, and from now on, you're sticking with me," Sonja said.

Adam walked at her side, and it wasn't long before he started to ask questions.

"What do the colours mean?" he asked. Sonja led him to a balcony on the floor overlooking the workspace.

"The white jumpers mark the recent additions," she said. "At the moment, there's quite a lot because the demand for oil has gone up and we need more workers to man more stations than normal.

"Then there're red and brown tops, of more experience. But that's where we start dividing them between the Marked and un-Marked. Most of the reds don't normally rise higher in rank than worker because they're marked criminals. But those who've committed lesser crimes can progress to the next rank.

"Brown tops represent Satellites without a record, whose who just live here.

"Then there're the overseers; they wear orange, blue and grey tops.

"The orange-tops are the exception to the rule against the red workers, those the managing director can trust. The blues are the promoted brown workers, and the greys are in charge of the mechanics and making sure accidents don't happen.

"Then there's the managing director, the only one who actually wears a suit and has an office. That's it, really."

"So you're a mechanic overseer?" Adam asked.

"That's right," Sonja replied. "Now, since I don't want you anywhere near the red-tops, you'd better learn my area of expertise."

She handed Adam a grey armband. "That marks that you're learning to be a mechanic, and you just wear that on whatever top you have."

Adam pulled it on, feeling relieved that he wouldn't have to work with those who obviously hated and ignored him. He had no idea why he was being tutored by a girl only a few years older, but it should keep him out of danger.

She showed him to the yard, where a machine stood, unmoving and rather rusty.

"This is called a nodding donkey," Sonja told her new pupil. "It pumps up oil from a land deposit. Now the shaft was opened a few days ago, and then the donkey broke."

Adam spent the rest of the day watching, listening and helping as Sonja worked on the machine. By the time the finishing bell rang in the mid-afternoon, he was sweaty, tired and covered in grease and oil. Sonja was no better off. The only thing that made it any better was the fact that the nodding donkey was working again.

"You'll get used to it in a few days," she said as they washed in tap water while the rest headed out of the gates.

Adam felt as though he really liked Sonja. She was confident and seemed to trust him, despite knowing that he was the son of a member of Sector Security.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Yugioh series**

all the Underground Satellite Duellists are OCs.

* * *

The First-Step Tournament weighed more and more heavily on Sonja's mind as the day drew nearer. She still worked hard, teaching her new apprentice how to fix first the nodding donkey and then other pieces of machinery. Adam was getting more and more experience, and soon she should think about promoting him to a brown worker studying machinery.

But every night, she thought more and more about the tournament –she had a ticket that would allow her entry. She had made a deal, and she would have to honour her side of the bargain.

She decided that it would be easier to be in the Upper District for a while, even if that meant leaving her Duel Runner with Crow for a while.

On the Friday before the start of the tournament, she rode it as far as Crow's bunker and dismounted as the kids who stayed with Crow, their big-brother figure and guardian, crowded around.

"Crow?" she called, pushing aside the curtain over the entrance. Crow was inside, tinkering with some spare parts. He grinned when he saw Sonja.

"What's up?" he asked. Sonja decided to confide in him, and showed him the invitation.

"So can you keep an eye on my Runner?" she asked. As an answer, Crow reversed it into a congregated iron shed thrown together, and covered it with a musty blanket.

"Don't worry about her," he said, giving her the thumbs-up. "Phoenix will be right here when you get back."

Phoenix. Crow had decided on a name for the Runner, as easily as he had called his Blackbird. Sonja didn't argue with the choice –somehow it was appropriate to have a Duel Runner named after her favourite card.

"Thanks," Sonja said, and she ran to the rickety bridge.

X

As soon as she had clocked in –she was early for once –she made her way up to her father's office and knocked at the door.

"Come in," he called. He was elbow-deep in paperwork, but he smiled as Sonja came in and stood in front of his desk. "What can I do for you, Sonja?"

"I've decided something," she said, and Andrew looked up. There was something in her tone. "I have been away for too long. If it's alright with you, I'd like to come home this weekend."

"You're free to do what you want," Andrew said, delighted that his adopted daughter had chosen to come home –she was more at home in the rougher areas than with them. It was a rare delight when they could count on her coming back. He was unaware of the fact she had an ulterior motive for staying with him and his wife.

Sonja couldn't explain it, even to herself; the Walkers had been her family since she had been six years old. And yet…and yet she still couldn't think of them as her family.

All the same, she didn't like the fact she was hiding the truth from Andrew, the man who had told her stories when she had been ill. He had stayed at her side for hours at a time, despite being busy as the manager of the oil refinery. She knew there was a mystery to her past, unclear and blurred, but she had known for years that she had been adopted.

As she walked through the streets after the end of the day, she was unaware of the man watching her from two storeys up, unaware of the binoculars fixed on her as she pulled her favourite card from the pack. She had no idea of the surprise in the Security's face as he identified the rare card.

Adam's father was surprised. He knew that the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys was classed as Ultra-Rare. In fact, he was certain that only one copy actually existed. So how had this Satellite girl come across it?

It had occurred thirteen years ago, but the Emily Turner kidnapping case was wide open and unresolved. Her kidnapper had disappeared with the four-year-old girl for just over a month, plenty of time to deposit the toddler on a doorstep somewhere and slip into the City. All the Sector Security had to go on was photos that were soon out of date and descriptions that would have changed as the girl got older.

But two features had been filed away: a birthmark on Emily's right arm and a Card she never let go of.

One of those things had resurfaced, in the Satellite of all places. He had to report this in.

X

Director Rex Goodwin studied the report sent in from the Satellite sector. The details were sketchy at best, and there were no solid leads to explore. All that had happened was a brief sight of a specific Card.

Every Satellite knew owning Duel Monster Cards was not allowed, but there was not much the Securities could do about it if confronted by a strong Duellist. And this girl had beaten back the assault of a Security's Deck, admittedly with the aid of a friend. But if this girl was in the same group as Crow, then undoubtedly she had strong tactics of her own.

And where had she had got the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys from in the first place. He made a few calculations –Emily would be seventeen by now, the same age as this Sonja.

Was it possible that Emily Turner and Sonja Walker was actually the same person?

He went through the report again, and found a few potential leads that he highlighted. He needed more solid evidence that Sonja was actually the kidnapped child before he raised the hopes of the Turner family.

He needed evidence that the girl was as important as he thought.

X

Adam was pulled aside by his father, and given a secret mission. Only a week ago, an Underground Duellist had been arrested, and a card had been on him. It was a pass to enter a tournament going on underground.

"Ante-rules are in effect," Inspector Lewiston said, handing his son a rare card –a Goyo Guardian, commonly used in the decks of the Securities. "Enter it."

"Is there any particular reason?" Adam asked, tucking the card away.

"We have intelligence that Sonja Walker will be participating in it as well," Lewiston said. "We need you to get information out of her, anything about her past."

"I thought Sonja was just a good Duellist you wanted me to keep an eye on," Adam said. "Isn't that the reason I had to enrol at that oil refinery?"

"Yes," his father admitted. "But a few years before you were born, a girl was abducted from the Tops District. Although her abductor is in the Facility for good, we never found her."

"And you think Sonja is that girl?" Adam asked, hardly unable to believe it.

"Director Goodwin does suspect it," the Security replied. "You seem to have her confidence already. Adam, we actually need your help."

"I'll do it," Adam shrugged, although his heart sank when he thought what Sonja might think of him if she realised he was investigating her.

X

It was eight when Sonja left her parents' house. She had eaten well, and she was free to roam until her heart's content. Her parents weren't expecting her back until the early hours.

As she made her way to the Underground's entrance, she almost collided with a Duellist with a masquerade mask over his face, shaped like a cat's face, and a black cloak draped over his shoulders.

"Sonja?" the figure asked, pushing up his mask to reveal a familiar face. "Are you watching?"

"No, competing," she said. "What are you doing, Adam?"

"Competing as well," the boy she had taken on as an apprentice said. "I'm the Black Cat. So where's your costume?"

"Not all of us treat this as a fancy-dress competition," Sonja said. She was wondering what Adam was doing, competing surrounded by people who would beat him up if they learnt of his lineage. She was sure he didn't need the money, and that his time in the Satellite would be limited as it was.

And that could mean only one thing: Adam was partaking in some investigation.

"Are you investigating one of the Underground Duellists?" she asked, lowering her voice. Adam winced slightly: she was so close to the truth it was making him sweat.

"Yes," he said, truthfully.

"Well, if you need help, let me know," Sonja said. Now Adam really dreaded what she would say when –if, he told himself –she found out it was her he was investigating.

"Thanks for the offer," he said.

X

The Underground Arena was located in the basement of a building, supplied by beer and wine factories. It wasn't a closely-guarded secret –everyone knew where it was, but Securities were beaten before they got over the threshold. The bouncers knew Securities from others at a glance.

Adam and Sonja flashed their entry-cards at one of the bouncers, who led them through the chamber. The Duel Platform was raised above everything else, and the metal cage was folded and secured high overhead. The platform was surrounded by tables and chairs, where masked spectators sat, chatting and sipping wine while they waited.

The two were shown into a back room, where six others were already assembled. The man took their names, including the pseudonyms. Sonja just stuck 'of the Phoenix' on to the end of her first name, and Adam announced he was the 'Black Cat'.

Sonja looked around the others who were assembled. Since she had been about seven, she had visited the Underground arena more than once. Her parents had brought her for the first time then. In fact, it had been there she had first developed her love for Duelling.

And now she stood among the best of the Underground Duellists, a hopeful newbie.

She recognised one of the most famous at once. He was a tall man, easily six feet tall, his face scarred with scars of a hundred bar brawls. He was the Wind Cyclone, the reigning Champion of the Cage; he was the strongest Duellist in the Underground arena.

And he really was as terrible as his reputation.

He made his way over to Sonja and Adam, standing apart from those used to the Underground. His face was stern but open.

"Welcome to the Underground," he said, holding out a calloused hand. Sonja took it first, and the Wind Cyclone noted her firm grip and the steel in her eyes. He was impressed –she was young, but sure of herself here. Of course, he had heard the rumours about the Phoenix, Sonja.

The boy was more timid, avoiding his eyes altogether.

"And who are you?" the Wind Cyclone asked. Adam had seen that only he was completely dressed up, and felt very conspicuous.

"The Black Cat," he replied.

The Wind Cyclone had taken their measure, and now he retreated. The girl was a real challenge, but the boy clearly had never been here before. He remembered the young girl who he had seen in the crowd countless times, eyes shining and filled with hopes. The Phoenix was that girl, assuming a place where she could Duel without fear of persecution.

But the boy, the Black Cat, had never been here before. The Wind Cyclone was a man with multiple connections, and if the boy had something to hide, he would find out.

X

Andrew opened the door to an old school-friend.

"Hugh," he greeted the Sector Security agent, closing the door as soon as the uniformed Security had crossed the threshold. "This is a surprise."

"I'm afraid I'm not here for a social visit," he said, sitting in a chair in Andrew's study. "I'm under orders from Director Goodwin himself."

"What's happened?" Andrew asked, leaning forward. Once he had wanted to be on the force, but then he had seen the hard condition of the Satellite, most of the adults unemployed and the children without any formal education. He had gone out of his way to remedy the situation as much as he could.

"It's about your foster-daughter, Andrew," Hugh replied, leaning across and pushing a folder across to his friend.

"Sonja?" Andrew asked, and his friend nodded in confirmation. He opened the folder. It was a collection of old cuttings from newspapers dating back thirteen years, and photos taken from a distance with a hidden camera. One showed a Card she had pulled out as she had walked by Andrew only a few hours ago. "Why are you spying on my daughter?"

"We believe, or at least the Director does, that she's actually the daughter of a millionaire who disappeared from the Tops District in the City. We think she's actually Emily Turner."

Andrew read through the articles; his eyes fixed on the description of the missing toddler. He had read of this scandal before, and he had had suspicions that Sonja would be the same girl. He had seen her birthmark many times, and she had never allowed herself to be separated from the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys before.

"Yes, it sounds like Sonja," he said calmly, putting the paper down. "We found her at an orphanage when she was six years old. So do you want my statement now, or should I take it to Director Goodwin?"

"You mean you knew she was Emily and you never informed the Securities?" Hugh asked, surprised. His friend had never acted so selfishly before. "Why?"

"Sonja was always ill," Andrew said. "I was going to tell her when she was slightly better, but I grew to love her as my own. The orphanage had named her."

"You say she was ill," Hugh said, deciding to ignore the concealment that had been going on. "How ill, and what sicknesses?"

"When she was seven, she fell into a coma after a Duel with one of her friends," Andrew said, deciding not to name Yusei. "It lasted several months, almost a year, before she woke up. I was so grateful to have her back. I decided not to tell her about her true identity, to raise her as my own.

"Between then and the age of eleven, she suffered headaches and the doctors diagnosed her for slight dementia. She complained of voices calling to her, but she eventually grew out of it.

"Since then, apart from the occasional flu, there's been nothing."

"Did you know that she has a Duel Runner hidden in the Deduclus Bridge District, and that she associates with Crow who is a marked criminal?" Hugh asked. Andrew shrugged.

"Sonja's free to do what she likes. In fact, if she can't find a way out of the Satellite one day, I'll be very surprised."

X

The competitors lined up on the platform to the polite applause of the assembled crowd, some lining the walls because there were no more chairs or stools. Adam and Sonja were separated by the rest of the competitors. They were aware of the bets being made, and guessed that they would have the highest stakes but the lowest chances of winning against the well-known Underground Duellists staked up against them.

"Welcome, Duellists," the announcer shouted through the microphone. "Welcome to the First-Step Tournament! You are the best the Satellite has to offer. We expect rather fine matches. Your whole future depends on the decisions of the scouts," he said, indicating the panel of five men and women. So they were the scouts sent to find fresh talent for the City's Underground arenas.

"Please present your Cards for ante!" the announcer demanded. Each of the eight drew a card from inside their Deck, holding it up for all to see. Adam was holding a Goyo-Guardian, an obvious Securities' card, and a deathly silence fell.

"Where did you get that from?" the announcer asked, lowering his microphone.

"Nicked it from a Security," Adam said. "I picked his pocket."

'Yeah, right,' Sonja thought. Adam could have been wearing a hat with 'I'M A SECURITY' written across it by holding up that card. But she didn't say anything, not wishing to put him in harm's way.

Adam's explanation seemed to satisfy the crowd and the referee, and the rest of the introductions were made. Adam strained his neck to see Sonja holding up the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys.

"And now, let's draw for the first match," the announcer called. "The names of the competitors will be drawn before the start of each Duel, meaning that the competitors won't know one another's identity until right before the Duel begins. The final two matches in this tournament will occur at the same time."

'So we won't have time to prepare ahead of time,' Sonja thought. 'I could be Duelling anyone at any time.'

The announcer dipped his hand into the bag, drawing the first name.

"Sonja of the Phoenix," he called out, and Sonja felt both relief and panic. She gulped down her nerves and waited as the man drew the second name.

"She will face off against the Black Cat," he announced finally.

Adam had been looking forward to this for some time and now, in front of a sold-out crowd, was his chance to show her just how good he was. The rest of the competitors moved backstage to watch the unfolding match and Sonja and Adam shuffled each other's Decks.

"Break a leg," Adam said as they parted. Sonja didn't speak, just nodded.

The referee flipped a coin and asked Sonja to call.

"Heads," she said; and heads it was. She had the option to go first, but she preferred to go second.

"Let the Duel begin," the referee shouted.

Adam placed a face-down and played a Vorse Raider, a 1900-Point strong Beast-Warrior type. It was a strong card to pull out straight away. Adam clearly wanted to go for the quick finish.

Sonja went next. She didn't have a very first promising hand. She had drawn a Gemini Elf, equal to the Vorse Raider in attack points; an attack would result in a stalemate, and then there was that face-down. And Adam could summon out a monster with higher level next turn. She took a chance and laid out a 4-Star Ladybug of Doom in face-down defence, playing it relatively safe. She took the opportunity to put out a trap.

Adam was next, and summoned out a second Vorse Raider. He sent it for an attack, only to have both of the 4-Star monsters destroyed as he flip-Summoned Sonja's bug. Now he was wide open, with only a face-down to guard him.

Amelia activated her trap during his End Phase: Fake Trap. Because Trap Hole had been activated at the wrong time, it was reduced to ashes.

Adam was wide open, and Amelia summoned her Gemini Elf to the field.

X

As she did so, her mind went to the boy who had given it to her, Kalin. He had been her friend, someone she had desired to impress. Crow, Yusei, Jack, Kalin –all of them had been her teammates in the Enforcers, a Duel gang that had aimed to be the best in the entire Satellite, Duelling anyone who stood against their domination.

But that hadn't ended well for them –Kalin's desire for the competition, even putting kids in danger and harm, had created a rift between then. She, Jack and Crow had left the Enforcers. Then Kalin had attacked the Securities, drawing the others into a dangerous situation, and been caught despite Yusei's best efforts.

That had been it for the Enforcers –their leader had been taken to the Facility and they hadnt been allowed to see him since; they had won the battles and had made the Satellite a place with no dominant Duel gangs, but in the end they had lost the war.

X

She sent her Gemini Elf in for an attack, gaining the advantage of an early lead. She laid a Trap Hole of her own and sat back.

It was a good match, but from the moment Sonja had played her own Trap Hole, it was clear that she had more experience and skill than the boy who, despite pushing her hard, was unable to break her defences although he whittled her Life Points down to 1000.

The Wind Cyclone watched from the waiting room, his eyes fixed on the screen. There was no doubt about: the girl was a good deal better than the boy was. Yet she was never outwardly aggressive, playing it safe on more than one occasion. Whoever the boy was, it was clear that he was on friendly terms with her.

It was satisfactory, and his keen interest in Adam abated slightly: if he was a friendly rival, there was no reason why Sonja hadn't been able to bring him into the competition.

Finally the last card was activated, and Sonja was pronounced the winner. The two competitors shook hands; Adam put his ante card on the table where the rewards sat and left with Sonja as the rest left the room.

Sonja and Adam sat in the room, alone, until the four who hadn't been selected to Duel came back in. To her surprise, Sonja saw that one of those still waiting to Duel was the Wind Cyclone. He saw her sitting with Adam a little distance from the rest, and moved over to talk with them.

"This should be a good match," he said, sitting in the chair opposite Sonja. Two Duellists, the Psychic Maniac and the Warrior, were squaring off. Adam nodded, feeling very self-conscious, wishing he had studied the Underground profiles a lot more. Sonja, however, was totally at ease.

"Isn't the Psychic Maniac supposed to have some sort of special power, to make the Duels feel real or something?" she asked the Wind Cyclone.

"Yes," the man said, rolling up his sleeve to show a deep scar. "One of his Duel monsters actually inflicted that."

"But how could that happen?" Adam asked. Aware that Sonja and the Wind Cyclone were both watching him, he continued. "I mean, the monsters aren't real; they're just holograms."

"Don't ask me how, but he's got the ability to make Duels very damaging," the Wind Cyclone. "And if you Duel anyone else who says they have psychic powers, just be aware of the fact that you can, and will, get hurt."

"I wouldn't like to have to Duel him," Adam said, watching as the Maniac unleashed a burning combo and the Warrior obtained a serious burn.

"You won't have to; you've already been knocked out of the running," the Wind Cyclone reminded him.

"So you beat him?" Sonja asked. The attacks that the Maniac was unleashing were vicious.

"Yes," the Wind Cyclone said. "It was one of the most painful cage-matches I went through. But there's one thing to remember: concentrate on what you're doing, and ignore whatever injuries are inflicted. Don't freak out when up against a Psychic duellist."

"So the Maniac's not the only one?" Adam asked.

"No," the man said. "He's part of a group of Psychic Duellists; they call themselves the Arcadia Movement. But they're stationed in the City."

X

The Psychic Maniac won within five moves, and the Warrior had to be helped from the arena before the next two draws were decided. He was lowered into a low chair, and the Psychic Maniac stood by the lockers, away from the rest of them.

"Are you alright?" Sonja asked, crossing to the Warrior's side.

"Not really," the man said. "I hope you don't have to go up against that sort of power. It completely broke me."

Sonja and Adam avoided the eyes of the Psychic Maniac –they felt uncomfortable about the Duellist who had wounded the pride and body of the Warrior, one of the most famous faces in the Arena. And he was avoiding looking at them.

The Wind Cyclone was Duelling the Joker, and the Mechanic was fighting the Dragon Lord. The Wind Cyclone found it no effort to blow his opponent to pieces, summoning his famous monster on the third turn. And the Dragon Lord's Dragon-based monsters tore the strong machines to pieces.

Sonja was progressing to the next stage with the most dangerous opponents she had ever faced: the Wind Cyclone and reigning Cage-Match and Underworld Champion, the unpredictable danger surrounding the Psychic Maniac, and the tricky strategies of the Dragon Lord.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own any of the Yu-Gi-Oh series

AN: Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys is actually one of my favourite cards, so i put it in this story. however, it's not a key card later in the series -just keep reading!

enjoy and review!

* * *

After an hour's break, the Duellists who were moving on arrived on the platform and awaited the pairings for the next two matches. Their names were set in the machine and the random process began. The losing four waited in the room with baited breath, as engaged in the next stage of the competition as those waiting for the pairing on the platform and the surrounding tables.

The first ball was the Wind Cyclone's followed by that of the Dragon Lord. And that left Sonja up against the Psychic Maniac.

The Warrior winced slightly: he pitied the girl's bad luck. Adam was worried about the effect that the Psychic Maniac could have, but he had slightly more confidence in the girl he was rapidly coming to regard as his friend. He had almost completely forgotten that he was supposed to be finding out whether or not Sonja was really Emily Turner.

The barrier rose, separating the two Duels from one another. The smart money was on the Wind Cyclone to win the whole event, but for the other Duel, no-one had a clear idea of what to do. They didn't want to bet for the Maniac anymore than they wanted to see the girl beaten into a pulp like the Maniac's last opponent, but they didn't think much of Sonja's chances as a newbie.

The Psychic Maniac had the first draw, and lost no time in summoning a Tuner Monster, the Psychic Commander that could reduce or increase the amount of damage depending on how many Life Points the owner was willing to sacrifice.

Sonja noted that the Maniac hadn't laid any face-down cards, and was automatically on guard. Was he trying to lure her into a false sense of security?

She laid out a face-down and summoned X-Sabre Gardner, its attack increasing by 300 points to 2100. She easily destroyed the Psychic Commander, taking a 700 point bite out of the Maniac's score. The Commander actually exploded, quite literally.

Sonja knew she was wide open to a counter-attack once her opponent decided to take to the offense. During the opponent's attack, her Gardner would lose 300 points, dipping to 1500, and therefore making it an easy target. Her only hope was the face-down trap she had laid.

The Maniac seemed to scent danger in her lay-out, and summoned a Twin-Barrel Dragon. He activated its effect, blasting aside her Mirror Force. It blew like a small bomb. Then the Maniac unleashed his monster's full attack, and a stream on bullets not only hit her for 1700 points of direct damage, but also bowled into Sonja. It hit her like a runaway train, lifting her off her feet and slamming her into the floor.

She lay crumpled as screams erupted.

X

Adam saw his friend lifted bodily and fall in a crumpled ball. That Psychic Maniac was not holding back.

"That looks bad," the Warrior said from beside her.

"Sonja of the Phoenix has a minute to regain her feet and resume play," the commentator for the Duel announced. "If she cannot continue, the Psychic Maniac wins by forfeit."

"Come on, Sonja," Adam breathed, urging his friend on silently. She was strong, and he was sure that it would take a great deal more than that to knock her out of the competition. And she wasn't about to give up her Phoenix by forfeit.

"She may not have the strength to get back up," the Warrior said. It had been a lot of damage in one blow.

X

Sonja was dazed from the force of the attack, and the wind had been knocked out of her. Everyone had fallen silent. She was aware of the spotlights trained on her even though she was face-down with her eyes closed. She had been expecting the force –she had seen the last match the Maniac had had, and the Wind Cyclone's words.

'Concentrate on what you're doing,' he had said, 'and ignore whatever injuries are inflicted. Don't freak out when up against a Psychic duellist.'

Well, she wasn't about to give up after just one attack. Yes, it had been painful, but she had seen the damage inflicted on the Warrior. Compared to his battle, that attack was nothing.

She pushed herself upright, and was greeted by cheering.

The Psychic Maniac was smiling to himself: this girl was stronger than his last opponent, who had lost all focus after his first direct attack. This was the sort of challenge he liked. And if he lost, it would be to a worthy opponent.

Even standing was actually more painful than it looked –it felt as though her legs had been replaced by jelly.

X

What followed was a war of attrition. Sonja was determined not to lose, and the Psychic Maniac was still pressing her hard, looking hard for even the smallest opening in her defence, an inch of recklessness. But her defences remained up.

Sonja had correctly judged that her opponent had a couple of cards less than she had. While she had two left in her slot, the Psychic Maniac's hand brushed the empty slot. And everyone knew that, regardless of Life Points, as soon as someone ran out of cards, they automatically lost.

The Psychic Maniac was smiling as he shook his opponent's hand. Sonja of the Phoenix had an incredible skill, even if she hadn't any psychic powers. She had been a worthy opponent.

Sonja was aware that the last match had concluded about half an hour earlier, and the Wind Cyclone had won. Her final Duel was with the man who had inflamed her love for Duelling when she had seen him in the Underground, the strongest of the Cage-Match Duellists. He was the reigning Champion.

X

"You were amazing!" Adam said as Sonja sank into a chair in the back room. She grinned, entertained by her friend's enthusiasm. She was grateful for the rest before the final match –she needed it after taking on the Psychic Maniac.

The Wind Cyclone hadn't been in the back room since the end of her match.

At the end of an hour, and a snack, Sonja walked out of the room, making her way through the corridors to the platform. The Wind Cyclone was waiting for her.

"So it's you against me," the man said. He had watched her first Duel and watched the final half-hour. She was a decent opponent, had overcome the hard Duels she had been through and the odds against her. In fact, despite his reputation for being merciless, he didn't really want the title or the money –that belonged to the young. He only had a few more years left as a Duellist –Sonja had her whole future ahead of her.

He had made a decision, and he had no regrets about it. He would still be the Champion of the Underground and the Cage-match.

He held out his hand, and she shook it.

He led the way out, and the crowd broke into applause. And it wasn't just the Wind Cyclone they were cheering –Sonja had been recognised as the great Duellist she was.

"Welcome to the final of the First-Step Tournament," the announcer said. "And what a great cage-match it promises to be. The reigning Champion, the powerful Wind Cyclone, is facing off against a new face that has overcome all the odds to be standing here. Please welcome Sonja of the Phoenix."

Sonja had made a decision. It was time to show the reason for her pseudonym, why she was 'of the Phoenix'. It was time to let the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys stretch her wings.

The Duellists took their places and drew their first cards.

Sonja drew first, and saw that her beloved Phoenix was in her first draw. She would summon it as soon as she could. In the meantime, she played her first card, the Giant Soldier of Stone in defence mode. With 2000 defence points, it would be hard for a four-star monster to destroy. She also played a magic card, Divine Wrath, planning to use it to block any effect when activated.

The Wind Cyclone played a slow game, something that Sonja noticed, cautious with none of the vicious combos that she had admired since youth. For a while she was curious. There were mutterings of surprise and discontent from people expecting a show and being given a lame circus.

Then the Wind Cyclone surprised them all: he laid a hand over his Deck, in the act of surrendering. There were hisses of disapproval.

"Wind Cyclone has surrendered the Duel," the announcer said, recovering from his surprise that had left him speechless.

"I don't accept it," Sonja said, scowling at the man she had respected for so long. What was he thinking? "Can you make that a time out?"

"Five minute time out," the announcer said. Sonja walked off the platform, followed by the Wind Cyclone. They halted in the corridor, speaking in whispers.

"What are you thinking?" Sonja asked. "Why throw the Duel? I was expecting a real challenge, as anyone would expect the final of any competition. So why were you going easy?"

"I felt you deserve the title," the Wind Cyclone said. "I'll still be the Cage-Match Champion."

"I don't want the title of Shooting Star to be handed over to me on a plate," Sonja said. "How about we put a show? You are the Wind Cyclone: you can't throw titles away. And if you are, I want to be tested. So hit me with everything, alright?"

Sonja's determination to earn the title, despite the fact that he had been willing to lose to her, was actually refreshing. He nodded in agreement.

"If that is your wish," he said.

Another idea was blooming in his mind –one that would dishonour neither of them.

When they returned to the stage, the Wind Cyclone withdrew his surrender, and the Duel begun again. He seemed to be going all-out on the girl now, receiving the cheers of the crowd as Sonja did. He backed her into corners, blocked her attacks and counter-traps. As he did so, he kept a careful watch on his score as well as hers. He had to judge this right.

Sonja spotted a chance and summoned the Hand of Nephthys, allowing her to Special Summon her prized possession, which blazed into 3D holographic display above her. The crowd let out a sigh of delight as the Wind Cyclone summoned his own monster, the Dragon of Destruction. At the cost of half his life points, he could destroy all the cards on her field. Her trap was destroyed and the phoenix exploded in a shower of flaming rubies and embers.

The dragon hit her for the same damage as he had taken, knocking her down to her last few life points. The Dragon disappeared, its effect used and unable to remain on the field. Now he was in a position to activate his magic cards that would destroy both their scores, ending the now-close match.

Sonja had remained emotionless, even when her favourite card had been destroyed. And on his end phase, he saw why.

The phoenix blazed back into life, screeching a long note. His Dragon of Destruction had gone, and now so did the magic card.

"How did that happen?" he asked, surprised. His chance to end this in a draw had exploded, and his defence was gone.

"Don't you know the legend of the phoenix?" Sonja asked. "After a fiery death, it is reborn from the ashes. And the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys can destroy trap and magic cards when it returns from the graveyard if it was sent there as the result of a special effect rather than a battle."

The phoenix unleashed a tongue of fire that burnt away the last of the Wind Cyclone's life points. Sonja had won the title, the reward and the anted cards. Those who had bet on her victory collected their winnings while the unfortunates cheered their Champion.

"The scouts are ready to pronounce their decision," the announcer said and handed a mike to one of the scouts.

"Wind Cyclone, Sonja of the Phoenix, both of you are invited to travel to the City and Duel in the underground. Congratulations and the best of luck, to both of you!"

All assembled were sorry to lose their most famous name and most skilled newbie who accepted nothing less than a true victory.

"We are honoured," the Wind Cyclone said.

"Thank you very much," Sonja said as she shook the hand of the scout. She had realised a dream at last. She was the third of her friends to cross into the City, despite every law that had been imposed to restrict the Satellite residents. And she was getting out only a week after Yusei had escaped. He must be somewhere in the City, and she would find him.

X

Sonja was presented with the rare cards that had been surrendered and the prize money of $140,000. A tattooist was waiting and, half an hour later, Sonja's right shoulder was wrapped in protective bandages. A tattoo of a shooting five-pointed star was now on her shoulder, coming down to the start of the chest.

She found Adam leaving the arena and called him over. She took the Geo-Guardian from her pocket and gave it to Adam.

"Here," she said. "Give this back to your father."

"No," Adam replied, pushing it back into her hands. "You won it fair and square. Besides, Dad's got a cabinet of them."

X

Hugh Lewiston was not surprised when his son had come home without the card that he had given him. Adam had actually enjoyed himself, despite being knocked out so quickly. He had been there to get information on Sonja, not to win the tournament.

"Sonja's got the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys," Adam told his father. "She used it in the final match, and it took her straight to victory."

"So she's the Shooting Star of the Satellite?" Hugh asked.

"Yes," Adam replied. "And she's supposed to leave for the City."

"So she's finally going home," Hugh mussed aloud. He wondered whether Andrew would finally tell his adoptive daughter the truth.

X

"What did you do to yourself?"

Sonja hadn't been expecting her parents to be up and waiting for her. It was the early hours of the morning, and she had made arrangements to pick her Duel Runner up from Crow's before heading out to the City. The copter would be arriving at ten the following morning near the area where Crow had his hide-away.

Now she had to explain everything, including the tournament, the reason for her injuries and the reward, and the step she was taking.

"So I'm flying out to the City at ten from the Bridge District," she concluded. The sun was only a few hours off rising now –it was nearly three in the morning.

"But what if someone finds out you're from the Satellite?" Linda persisted. So far Andrew hadn't said a word, which was pretty unusual –normally he was first to vent anger.

"I've got a travel permit," Sonja said, pulling the ward of paper from the bag. It was completely authentic, signed by Goodwin before it had been taken. He hadn't known the name that would be attached to it, and it had been blank until Sonja had signed it.

"All the same…" Linda said, hesitant to let her go.

"Let her go, Linda," Andrew said, breaking his silence at last. "It's her decision. And all it proves is that she's finally ready."

"What exactly am I supposed to be ready for?" Sonja asked, her curiosity hitting a new height.

"The truth," Andrew said simply. He slid two newspapers, old and fading, across the table towards her.

Sonja leaned across to take them, reading through them. What she read hit her like a hammer blow.

"You weren't born in the Satellite, Sonja," Andrew said. "You were born in the wealthiest part of the City of New Domino, the Tops. You're the daughter of a millionaire and you were kidnapped at the age of four. We can assume that he brought you here and put you on the doorstep of the orphanage before giving himself up, knowing that the Satellite was the last place the Securities would look for you."

"So I'm actually called Emily Turner?" Sonja asked, wrinkling her nose slightly at the idea. She had liked her name, and her real name sounded as foreign as another planet.

"Yes," Andrew said. "Let me explain first: we should have handed you over to the Securities as soon as we put two and two together, but then you were so ill and we grew to love you. We should have told you sooner."

Sonja got up and hugged them tightly.

"Promise us that you will at least find them and let them know that you're alive and well," Andrew said, hugging her back.

"I will, and I'm old enough to choose for myself anyway."

"Get some rest," Linda said, motioning to the couch. "We'll pack a few things for you."


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not owm any of the Yu-gi-oh series**

**Please enjoy and review!**Sonja left the house after a few hours of rest and with a backpack. Her mother –adoptive mother, she forced herself to think –had been unable to let her go without a month's supply of food and drink on top of as many clothes as she had been able to cramp in.

* * *

As she walked along the pavement in the early dawn light, she thought about those newspaper articles. She still thought of herself as Sonja Walker, but if that was true that she had a real family in the City, she was going to try and find them.

She shook her head to clear the confusing thoughts –that was not the priority here. What mattered right now was settling into the Damian Area of the City, where the Underground Duelling was located and held.

Her new contract detailed that she would be expected to compete in one Underground Duel a month and five Street Duels in the same period of time. Other than that, she would be left to her own devices. Once she had completed the third Duel of each month, she would be paid the standard sum of $100 per Duel, with the potential bonus of an extra $100 if she went over the quota. It was a good deal for someone coming out of the poverty-ridden Satellite.

It had also stated that Underground Duellists would be allocated to an apartment with a non-Underground partner.

Crow was an early-bird, so Sonja found him cleaning his completed Blackbird. Hers was standing beside it, and looked as though she hadn't been riding it around a dirty track only a few days ago. The orphaned kids he took care of were playing tag, the dog that lived with them barking in excitement,

He glanced up at her approach.

"Hey!" he called her over. "So did you leave the competition to eat your dust or what?"

"Yeah, I won," she confirmed. Crow whooped in delight, and Sonja had to press on fast. "I came here to collect my Runner as well as to say goodbye, Crow. I have a contract to begin at the City, and my pick-up's going to be arriving in a few minutes."

"So where's it arriving?" Crow asked. Sonja let a mischievous grin onto her face, and Crow understood in an instant. Now this was something he had to see for himself.

He called over the oldest of the boys, a nine-year-old known as Liam.

"Keep an eye on the nest," he told the boy. "I'll be back in a while."

The two left the 'nest' on their Duel Runners, the kids calling out goodbyes long after they had left.

"You know, I'm going to miss that mess you call home," Sonja remarked as they drove on. Crow ginned at her.

"And I'm going to miss having you at my side," he said. "I can't believe you're about to fly the coop."

"You'll get over it," Sonja said.

The two raced on in silence, Crow gaining a slight lead.

They arrived in front of the bridge and looked along the unfinished structure. It was an emblem of hope for leaving the Satellite, almost completed until the hero who had made it had been cornered and forced to choose between arrest and using the uncompleted bridge. He had chosen the latter, flying off into the sunset –or so Crow told it.

Both of them had dreamed of doing the same, Crow upgrading his Runner to soar over the Chelsea Abyss.

They heard the rotors of the helicopter as it soared overhead, calculating her Runner's arch before coming to a stop a few feet away from the end of the bridge.

It was Sonja's time to soar over the edge of that bridge on her way to freedom. She clapped hands with Crow, deftly giving him some of her winnings. Before he could protest, she had revved up her engine and was speeding towards the bridge.

He watched as she soared off the end, travelling the distance to the copter's open doors before being swallowed into the craft. A few minutes later, it closed and the helicopter headed across the open waters dividing the City and the Satellite.

"I guess I'll see you around," Crow thought to himself. He opened his clenched fist and counted Sonja's parting gift. It was more than enough to allow him to easily feed the hungry mouths of the hatchlings waiting at his nest.

He waved one hand in the air, watching until the helicopter began a tiny speck in the distance, in the vicinity of the City.

He seemed to be losing friends –first Jack, then Yusei, and now Sonja had also gone to the City.

"Come back soon," he whispered as he turned Blackbird for home, the money in his jacket pocket.

X

"That was rather impressive," the Wind Cyclone said as he sat on one of the hard seats as Sonja brought the Runner to a controlled stop. He had wondered what Sonja had been talking to the helicopter pilot about before, and now he knew.

Sonja swung herself out of Phoenix and crossed to another seat, leaving her helmet on the Duel Runner.

"I always wanted to do that," she admitted.

"Any particular reason why you wanted to ride across a half-completed bridge and through the air?" the Wind Cyclone said.

Sonja gave him a brief outline of the story that Crow was so fond of telling the orphans under his care, the one that had shaped both their dreams of leaving the Satellite.

As the two Champions talked, one of the scouts came over to give them a quick heads-up.

"Alright, we'll shortly be arriving in New Domino City," he said. "Make sure you keep your IDs on you at all times. We're putting down in the area of Damian District."

The man handed them both a sheet of paper. Sonja looked and saw it was an address for the Damian Area.

"Those addresses are your new accommodation," the scout continued. "Someone will be on site to let you move in, and the addresses are registered to them.

"Once you are settled, I suggest you hit the streets or Underground. No one knows we're importing from the Satellite sector, so we've provided you with some back-story –nothing too fancy, just to ensure people believe you really are from the City."

The pilot touched down a few minutes later, and the two disembarked, Sonja pushing her Duel Runner clear and mounting as soon as they reached the ground floor.

"So where are you going?" the Wind Cyclone said, noticing that her Duel Runner was pointing towards the main area of the town. "The Damian District's the other way."

"There's something I want to check on first," Sonja said. "I'll see you around some time."

She took off, joining the fast lane of the Highway. The Wind Cyclone was curious, but he didn't have a Duel Runner of his own. And anyway, that girl was not his problem. Shrugging, he walked away.

Sonja was headed for the Tops District. She didn't know if she'd be able to gain entry to the super-rich area of Neo-Domino City, but it was the best place to start looking for answers and her family.

A doorman raised a quizzical eye as she drew up beside the main doors on her Duel Runner.

"May I help you?" he asked as she dismounted.

"Maybe," she replied, kicking the stabilizing stand on her Runner into place. "Can you tell me if the Turner family still lives in the Tops?"

"The family moved away several years ago, after their little girl was abducted," the man said. He was curious about what business someone who looked like they belonged more in the Damian District than in the Tops, but so far the girl didn't seem to be a threat. "Their apartment now belongs to the Tanaka (1) family."

He could almost see her disappointment before she tried another approach.

"Do you know the address they moved to?" she asked.

"I can't give the address out to just anyone who strolls by," the man said. "I need to know why you're tracking down the Turner family."

Sonja wasn't ready to say that she was the family's long-lost daughter; she had given some thought to how to answer such a question without having to say that part.

"They said that anyone with information should contact the Turner family home," she said.

"You mean you have news of Miss Emily?" the man asked. He was finally giving her his full attention. "What's your name?"

"Sonja Walker," she said. It was the name she had grown up with in the Satellite Sector, the one she was used to.

The man handed a sealed envelope to her. "You'll find the address to the family estate there, and I'll phone ahead to let them know that you have information on their daughter."

"That won't be necessary," Sonja said quickly, taking the envelope. "I'll tell them when I arrive there."

"As you wish," the man said. Sonja returned to her Duel Runner and kicked it into life, turning it so that she was facing the Damian area. She sped away from the Tops.

She would find her accommodation, settle in and find a couple of opponents to Duel before she headed out to the family home, just outside the outskirts of the sprawling megacity that was New Domino.

X

Her apartment turned out to be part of a four-room flat, with shared kitchen and open lounge in the centre. The room wasn't too bad, with an en-suite shower and toilet, and not a bad view out the window. And her living partner was a quiet man. He was something of a mechanic himself, and only requested that she kept her room clean.

Her room was big enough to take her Duel Runner and still have plenty of space left. That was a good thing –she probably would have worried about it the whole time if she had been forced to leave it lying around. After so much time in the Satellite, she had learnt that the safest place to leave a Duel Runner was either right beside you or with someone you completely trusted. And since the second wasn't really an option right now, she was glad the first one was.

She had a little spending money, so she wandered out to buy groceries and a few new Cards. The streets were teaming with kids Duelling and running around. Sonja couldn't help but smile at the fun.

But it brought back memories –most of the kids she had grown up with had been orphans, their parents had vanished, victims of the natural disaster that had ripped the Satellite apart from New Domino City. All of her friends had been in that group. Back there, your Cards were not just a ticket out of the refuge dump of a town –they were a part of your soul. And she remembered what the kids who had taught her to Duel had said about her Sacred Phoenix –she would definitely soar higher and more free than anyone else and that no-one would be able to hold a candle to her abilities.

Well, that part had definitely come true.

She wondered if these kids thought there was that special meaning behind at least a few of their cards. Probably not, since they were allowed to Duel without Sector Security looming over them, and the cards she played with had probably just been thrown out with the trash.

On her way back, laden down with groceries, she saw one kid explaining the rules of a tag-battle to two others. Every kid she saw playing here reminded her of the times when it had been her, Crow, Yusei, Jack, and even Kalin against the world, before he had been shipped off to the Facility, learning the rules of Duel Monsters as they went.

The Card shop was bustling when she walked in. It was mainly kids trying to strengthen their decks with whatever their money could buy. Sonja could remember waiting days and weeks for smuggled cards to reach the Satellite shop, and how it was always busy the instant news came that the cards were in. These kids were far luckier –their shop would be open all the time, with a fully-stocked selection each and every day.

She left with several packs of cards in her bags. She had enough now to assemble a secondary deck. As she made her way through the streets, a boy came tearing around the corner in front of her block of flats and collided with her. She fell, and her card packs scattered, along with her groceries.

"I'm sorry, miss!" the boy said as he got to his feet. He began helping her collect her belongings and he looked quizzically at the number of Duel Monster Card packs as he handed them back. "Are you a Pro Duellist?"

"Actually, I'm more of a Street Duellist, although I hope to go Pro some day," Sonja said.

"Where do you live?" the boy asked. "I've never seen you around the City before, and I watch all the street Duels and read all the blogs."

The boy was shrewd, Sonja noticed wryly. But she couldn't afford to let him know she was from the Satellite. Thankfully, she had her new background.

"Actually I come from overseas," Sonja said. "And I've just moved into the block right behind you. The name's Sonja Walker, by the way."

"Andy," the boy said, extending his hand. Sonja took it and shook it, noting that the boy had left out his last name.

She went to move around the boy, but he followed her. "Can I see your apartment?"

Somehow this Andy reminded her of another curious kid who had often hung around the Enforcers' hideout in the Satellite. He had always been asking questions, but when Kalin had caught him in the act of trespassing, the kid had been so scared he had left the District. The curiosity of a kid was their own curse. But turning them away was even more dangerous.

"OK, but just a quick look," Sonja agreed. Andy nodded and followed her.

When they entered the bare undecorated room, the first thing Andy spotted was her Duel Runner. He was drawn to it like a moth to a flame while Sonja put her groceries on the table.

"You're a Turbo Duellist?" Andy asked, turning to her. "Are you here to Duel Jack Atlas?"

Sonja had actually forgotten all about Jack in the excitement of winning the First-Step Tournament, but she should have remembered how popular he was in the city –the undefeated Champion of the Turbo Duels. Yusei had come here at least a week ago looking for him, but she had no idea where he had gone. Maybe she should start making an effort to find him.

"I am a Turbo Duellist," Sonja confirmed. "But I'm not a Pro, so I won't be allowed to Duel Jack, will I?"

"No-one will ever defeat Jack," Andy said. "You won't get through me."

"So you're a huge fan of Jack's?" Sonja asked. She should have known this would happen. She noticed that Andy's hands were hovering over his Duel Disk, and she picked up her own. "Do you want to challenge me?"

"You bet!" Andy said, activating his Disk.

Sonja really didn't want to beat up a kid, but a Duel was a Duel. This would leave her one Duel closer to receiving her pay. She fired up her Disk. "Alright, let's see what you've got."

* * *

(1) It's a popular name in Tokyo, and I didnt have any preference to use for Leo and Luna as a surname.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Yu-gi-oh series, etc**

This Duel is based on one I did on Yugioh 2009: Stardust Accelerator. My opponent was actually Figaro, in the Underground arena.

this is the first time i'vewritten a Duel out like this, so i hope you enjoy. and please, let me know if there's anything i need to improve.

* * *

Sonja started the duel, laying out a trap card and a MASKED DRAGON (ATK: 1400 DEF 1100) in Attack Mode.

Sonja 8000: Andy 8000

Andy activated the ability of his ARCHFIEND GENERAL, allowing him to draw the Field Spell card PANDEMONIUM, preventing him from having to give up life-points for having the Archfiends on the field. The hologram system projected the new surroundings into the room. Sonja used the opportunity to chain her trap, BACKFIRE. Andy frowned –he knew the trap would cost him 500 points every time he sent a fire-type monster of hers to the graveyard.

He summoned ARCHFIEND SOLDIER, damaging Sonja for 500 LP. MASKED DRAGON's ability activated and Sonja brought out another MASKED DRAGON, in Defence mode this time. The trap hit him for 500 LP.

Sonja 7500: Andy 7500

Sonja set a monster card face-down and ended her turn. Either she was starting to make her move, or she was hoping to drag it out until she had an actual plan.

Andy released ARCHFIEND SOLDIER to summon SKULL ARCHFIEND and used it to attack her MASKED DRAGON, taking the 500 point hit when it came. He laid a face-down and ended his turn.

Sonja 7500: Andy 7000

Sonja activated the SHALLOW GRAVE Magic card, allowing her to resurrect her MASKED DRAGON. But it also allowed Andy to recover his ARCHFIEND GENERAL. Sonja released both her dragon and her flipped QUILLBOLT HEDGEHOG monster, an old keepsake from Yusei, to summon BUSTER BLADER. It immediately left the field, due to Andy's BOTTOMLESS TRAP HOLE, removing it from the game. With no other option, Sonja had to end her turn.

She was wide open, and Andy didn't hold back. He summoned a second ARCHFIEND GENERAL and launched a direct attack. Sonja's life points plummeted.

Sonja 800: Andy 7000

Sonja had been duelling long enough that she knew that panicking wouldn't get her anything. There had to be an answer in her Deck. She drew her next card, and felt like blessing her lucky stars. She had a combo in her hand, and one that Andy wouldn't be able to fend off as easily as he had her last one.

She summoned her PSYCHIC COMMANDER, and returned her QUILLBOLT HEDGEHOG to the field. She used the combination to pull off a Synchro Summon, removing the QUILLBOLT HEDGEHOG from the game. She powered her new monster, the MAGICAL ANDROID, up to 4800 attack points with the MEGAMORPH spell card, before attacking one of the ARCHFIEND GENERALs, cutting down Andy's lead. The effect of MAGICAL ANDROID kicked in, allowing her to recover 600 LP. She laid down a card in the Trap/Spell card zone.

Sonja 1400: Andy 4700

Andy activated the spell HEAVY STORM, but Sonja countered with a chain, using her COMPULSORY EVACUATION DEVICE to force ARCHFIEND GENERAL back to Andy's hand.

Andy used the chance to activate the effect of ARCHFIEND GENERAL, returning the field to its PANDEMONIUM state. He laid a monster in face-down defence mode and put a face-down trap or spell card.

Sonja 2600: Andy 4700

Sonja summoned her KREBONS to the field and used it to attack the face-down monster, which turned out to be a SUMMONER MONK. Sonja ended her turn and reaped the benefit of having MAGICAL ANDROID on her field, recovering double the amount due to the fact that she had two Psychic-types on her field.

Andy summoned a new ARCHFIEND GENERAL to attack KREBONS, but Sonja completely nullified the attack, even though it cost her 800 LP to do so.

Sonja 1800: Andy 3500

Sonja summoned an ULTIMATE BASEBALL KID, and used her monsters for an attack before reaping her LP benefit.

All Andy could do was to lay out two face-downs in response, hoping to bluff her out.

Sonja 3000: Andy 2000

It was easy for Sonja to finish off the Duel, attacking directly with her MAGICAL ANDROID, seeing straight through the bluff.

Sonja 3000: Andy 0

Andy had to admit that Sonja was a skilled Duellist. She hadn't panicked when he had attacked directly with both his monsters, and that had been when he had gotten cocky. She had been able to keep cool and make a huge comeback when it had really mattered. Only the best could recover from mistakes that well and that quickly.

"You really are good," he said as they both turned off their Disks and Sonja returned her Deck to the pouch she wore on her belt. "You might actually last longer than a few minutes against Jack Atlas. But in the end, he'd win –he's just too slick."

Sonja smiled to herself –she knew the truth. Jack had improved as he had grown up, but for years, she had been the best out of the Enforcers, on equal footing with Kalin before he had been arrested and taken to the Facility.

"Do you want to see what it's like on the back of a Duel Runner?" she asked. Andy nodded excitedly and grabbed the helmet Sonja tossed over to him. They headed down in the lift, Sonja pushing the Runner.

It was just a leisurely cruise around the roads, Sonja using the time to get used to the scenery and layout of the city while giving Andy the thrill of his life. Hers wasn't the only Duel Runner they came across, and none of them belonged to Sector Security.

"So where do you live?" Sonja asked. "I'll drop you off."

"Thanks a lot!" Andy said, and began to direct her. Soon they pulled up on the outskirts of the city, where a huge mansion lay sprawling. Sonja could only just make out the house.

"So what's your surname anyway?" she asked as she stopped the engine and climbed off to allow Andy off as well.

"I'm Andrew Turner, really, but all my friends call me Andy. I've got an older brother, Robert Turner," Andy said. Sonja still had her helmet on, so Andy didn't see the shocked expression on her face. She turned to look at the house –this belonged to her family? And this kid was her younger brother. Andy went on. "Robert's the heir to the Turner Energies company, and he's a pretty good Duellist as well."

"I see," Sonja said, mounting her Duel Runner. "Well, I guess I'll see you around."

"Why don't you come in?" Andy asked. "You can show Robby some of your moves."

Sonja was torn –part of her wanted to see her family, and the other part was afraid of losing the identity she felt most comfortable with. Just then the gates opened and a boy with raven hair and grey eyes was standing there. He looked no older than fourteen years old, as opposed to his brother's twelve-year-old appearance.

"Hi, Andy," he said, coming forward. "I was getting worried. Who's this?"

"This is Sonja," Andy said. "I met her in town recently. She's a Turbo Duellist, and she's almost as amazing as Jack Atlas."

"You think so?" Robert said. He held out his hand. "It's good to meet you, Sonja. My friends just call me Robby. Youmust be good -Andy doesn't hold many people in the same league as Jack Atlas."

Sonja sighed and removed her helmet –it would be impolite not to return the greeting. "Nice to meet you, Robby," she said.

Before she knew it, she had consented to coming into the house and the comfy lounge and was sharing juice and cookies. Several times she attempted to leave, saying that she was intruding on their time, but they persisted that they wanted her to stay.

It was getting late, and Sonja was trying to hide her edginess. She was sitting here, close to her brother who had no idea who she was, in her family's room. There was the opening and shutting of a door and a richly dressed woman in a formal suit came in. Sonja guessed that this was her mother.

"I was wondering who the Duel Runner belonged to," the woman said, smiling at Sonja as she got to her feet.

"I met Andy in town and gave him a ride home, and the two of them insisted I should stay," Sonja said. "Sorry for intruding."

"There's no problem," the lady said. Sonja sighed –these people were far too trusting, especially after what had happened thirteen years ago.

"Are you sure it's OK to have a complete stranger in the house with your son and his friend?" she asked.

"You seem to have gotten Robert's trust," the woman said. "And he's generally a very good judge of character."

She held out a hand. "I am Andrea Turner."

Sonja took it. "I am Sonja Walker," she said, almost stumbling over her own last name.

It took until early evening before Sonja was able to excuse herself and leave. Before then, she had had to go through her real father, Henry Turner, coming home looking tired but kind and a meal with the family and Andy. All the time she had had to keep her true identity a secret, learning about her family through civilised chat. Her own parents had insisted that she call them by first name.

She learnt a lot about her brothers as well -Robert was more of a Hunter Pace fan, which actually really annoyed his brother, who had reverted to being a Jack Atlas fan ever since he had first appeared in the Championship tournament.

And Robert had become a worry to her. Henry had told her that his son was very good at reading body language and hoped to use it to join Sector Security to detect if someone was lying. Since then, she had seen him looking at her several times in an odd manner –almost as though he could see right through her.

When she finally revved her engine and accelerated away, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Robert watched her pull away from the house through a gap in the curtains. He had been sensing some strange language behind her movements –it was like her emotions were all over the place. Only one conclusion made sense –he was certain she was hiding something.

"Well, Sonja seemed like a nice girl," his mother said as she brought the boys some cocoa for a late night movie.

"Yeah, she is," Robert said. "I hope she comes by again."

Robert was certain they were missing something important about Sonja, and he was determined to find out what that was.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own any Yu-gi-oh series, just a big fan, etc.

Review from: Kaycee x-Jesse Anderson Fan-** Gurd story, i hope Sonja meets up with Jack or Yusei soon**

Talk about co-incidence -that's exactly what happens in this Chapter!

Please enjoy, and keep the reviews coming.

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For the next few weeks, Robert frequently scanned the information on blogs talking about street Duels. Sonja was quickly drawing a lot of attention –she had come out of nowhere and was winning every Duel she was challenged to.

Yet those were the only references he could find about her. When he accessed the Duel Academia files, even scrolling back years and different branches, there was no mention of a Sonja Walker. Most of the best young Duellists went through Duel Academia before graduating and going into the world of the Pros. Most Street Duellists were those who had fallen from grace, but that didn't seem to be in the case with Sonja.

It was strange. Sonja was definitely talented enough to be in the Pro Circuit, but she was just a Street Duellist. After a while, he decided the best thing to do would be to follow her around and see what she did. Maybe that would yield some good results.

He knew that she lived in the Damien District, the area of the city known for housing ruffians and those recently released from the Facility. Andy knew the exact building and room, but he wasn't planning to follow every move she made.

Within a few days of his 'investigation', Andy told him that the blogs were quickly beginning to fill up with comments, all focused on Sonja. Apparently her Deck had changed from being a fire-based one to one that focused on different types of Dragons. And she had some pretty rare cards in that collection. She was already believed to be almost unbeatable by those who had seen her play.

He only had another six days left before his entry exam for the Duel Academia was scheduled. And in that time, Sonja won over ten Duels. And he had discovered that she went to the Underground Arena once a month –he had seen her pass the guard but hadn't been able to follow her in.

He was curious about that fact –why was someone like Sonja duelling in the Underground Arena? Everyone knew it existed, but even Sector Security had been turning a blind eye to the concealed location and the Duels that went on. According to rumours, it was supposed to be rough and even life-threatening.

It was actually distracting him slightly from his studies –he had passed the theory paper and passing Duel with flying colours, earning his spot in the Ra Yellow. There had been nothing to stop him from entering the Obelisk dorm, apart from the fact that he had not attented some snotty prep-school. In fact, his entrance scores had been the highest in the year, including the Obelisk Blues.

Andy elbowed his brother to wake him from his daydream –he had entered the Ra Yellow dorm at the same time as Robert had, despite the age difference. The lecturer had called for their attention.

"This year's GX Tournament will be a Tag-Team Turbo-Duel Tournament," he said. "As you all know, the GX is combining Duellists from the larger community with students."

Now even Robert was interested.

"None of you have Duel Runners, so the teams are going to be one student teamed up with a Street Duellist with a Duel Runner," their lecturer went on. "The selection of your teammate will be completely up to you. Let me know if you run into difficulties. And your partner has to have a Turbo Licence, so make sure they take the test before the Tournament begins."

The class ended in time for lunch, and the students headed for the cafeteria.

"Are you thinking of asking Sonja to join you?" Andy asked Robert. As much as he wanted to ask Sonja to be his Tag partner, he knew that their Decks were far too different to allow them to work well together. Robert, on the other hand, used a style similar to Sonja's, focused on Dragons as well.

"Yeah," Robert said as he selected a sandwich from the stand. "I'm going to see her after the end of lessons today. Want to come along?"

Andy nodded –he wanted to see Sonja again as well.

X

The two walked through the Damien streets in their uniforms, drawing attention from the residents. Andy had an idea of why –a lot of Street Duellists had applied to enter the elite Duel Academia, but all had been turned away or stuck in the Slifer Red dorm.

They arrived at the building where Sonja lived and were about to enter when four Duel Runners tore by, racing each other. A purple one was far ahead of the others, leaving the others to fight for second place. The two boys recognised the leading Runner –it was Sonja, and she was obviously racing a group of Street Turbo Duellers. Less than a minute later, Sonja pulled to a halt in front of the building again. She had removed her helmet before the others arrived. The group crowded around her.

"Nice work, Sonja," one of the boys said, holding out a hand. Sonja shook it. "It looks like that Runner's not just for show."

"You must have done a lot of work to perfect it that much," another boy said, eyeing its sleek frame carefully.

"It took me ages to finish it," Sonja said. "And it took race after race to get the engine and CPU to work to perfection."

"We'll see you around!" the boys said as they remounted their Runners and raced off.

A man came out of the apartment block and helped Sonja push the Runner into the garage. The boys followed them and waited until the man disappeared. Sonja remained in the garage, working on her Duel Runner. She looked up when the two boys approached.

"What are you two doing here?" she asked, standing and ushering them inside before closing the garage door. "This is a dangerous part of town for kids like you. What's with those uniforms?"

"We go to the local Duel Academia," Andy said. "We need to talk to you. It's about the GX Tournament."

"GX Tournament?" Sonja repeated. "Isn't that the big event organised by Duel Academia each year? What are they planning this time?"

"It's supposed to bring Street Duellists and students together," Andy told Sonja. "It's going to be a Tag Team Turbo Duel Tournament this time. We students don't have Duel Runners or licenses, so we need the help of Street Turbo Duellists."

Sonja knew there was quite a lot of bad blood between the Street Duellists and Duel Academia students, but that was mainly because they believed they had been denied the chance to excel at the elitist school. Maybe this tournament would heal that relationship –but there was also the chance that it could make everything a lot worse. The Duel Academia was definitely taking a chance.

"We came here tonight to ask if you could team up with me, Sonja," Robert said, interrupting her thoughts. Sonja blinked in surprise.

"You want me as a partner?" she asked, and Robert nodded. "I would be honoured, but I don't have a Turbo license."

"You could easily get one," Robert said, not batting an eyelid. "With your skills, you could soar through it. All you have to do is answer a theory paper, show you can Duel without losing your balance on a simulator and run a race against one of the Security bikes."

Sonja was sure that the authorities in the City were notified of all Duel Runners that were encountered in the Satellite. If they saw Phoenix, they would be sure to figure out where she was from and ship her right back to the Satellite –after a trip to the Facility.

But it was a chance she was willing to take. She had to try –she could tell from their faces that the boys weren't going to let her off unless she said yes.

"OK, I'll go for it," Sonja said. "But if I fail, you're going to have to find another partner, alright?"

"Alright," Robert said, eagerly accepting her terms.

X

The next day, Andy and Robert were both in the stands of the practice circuit, watching as Sonja tore around the track with the others who had passed the theory and simulated safety tests before their final-stage assessor arrived on the scene.

There was a wailing sound of a Security alarm and a Sector Security officer pulled up. Sonja and the ten others stopped neatly in front of him –although Sonja's stop was the neatest.

"Welcome to the final test of Turbo Licensing," the man said. Sonja was relieved –so far he hadn't recognised her Runner at all. Maybe her fears had been unfounded. "You've already shown that you know how to keep your Duel Runners in perfect condition, as well as draw and play Duel Monsters on a high-speed track. This trail is all about your ability to ride fast and remain safe. It's a five-lap race –all eleven of you against me. If I overtake for any reason, it is a fail. If you are ready, let's begin!"

The elevem Runners turned and began to pull away. Some were slow in starting and fell behind the main group. Sonja was sitting in sixth place for now. A few moments later, the Security representative took off in pursuit. One candidate was going at a snail's pace and a couple slowed down far too much on the very first turn –all three were quickly eliminated.

"Hi, Robert," said a voice. Robert and Andy turned to see a bespectacled boy with long brown hair and a boy with green hair that was tied up in a ponytail coming towards them.

"Hi, Dexter, Leo," Robert said. "Have you found your partners yet?"

"Nope," Leo sighed, sinking into a seat just as the second candidate crashed into the blockade feet away from them. "Why are you here? Taking a break?"

"Actually, we're watching my future partner get her license," Robert said, pointing to the track. Leo and Dexter followed his finger to the purple Duel Runner as it raced on, easing into second place as a Duellist skidded across the track after craning too much to see where the Security Runner was. The others swerved left and right, but Sonja slipped her Runner into reverse, and kept following the line of the course before squaring off again.

"Wow, she's pretty good," Dexter said. "There are very few who can pull off that sort of manoeuvre. If she passes, you might be tough to beat."

"How many laps have they done?" Leo asked, as the fifth, sixth and seventh candidates crashed at the next corner after failing to recover and the Security stepped up the pressure to catch the last few. By now Sonja had pulled away from the main group and was out in front.

"Four," Andy said. "And there's no way the Security is going to catch Sonja before she crosses the finishing line!"

He was right of course –Sonja was across the final line before the Sector Security man came close to closing the distance enough for her to feel the pressure. It was a closer thing for the other three, but none of the other Duellists managed to pass the finish line before the Security bike caught up to them.

"Congratulations, Sonja!" Robert said as he leapt from the stand and hurried towards her. The Sector Security agent approached as Sonja took off her helmet. The other Duellists pushed their Runners away, looking jealously back at the girl who had been the only one to pass.

"That was a brilliant demonstration of skill and speed," the man said. "Well done, please report to the building up on the hill to receive your Turbo License."

Sonja headed up to the station to collect her license, entrusting the Runner to the boys' protection. After she received it, she headed back to the stadium. There was a buzz of an engine going from racing speed to a complete stop behind her.

"Is that you, Sonja?" a voice asked from behind her. It was a voice that Sonja had grown up with. She turned to see Jack sitting on his Runner that he had built from Yusei's very first Runner- the one Jack had stolen when he had run away to the City two years ago. "What are you doing here?"

"Getting a license," Sonja said.

"You're not the first old face I've seen recently," Jack said. "Yusei was here as well, in the City. Of course, he didn't stay free for very long."

"Where is he, Jack?" Sonja demanded. She didn't like this new side of Jack –this wasn't the same guy she had been friends with in the Satellite. Jack had always been confident, cocky and proud, but this Jack was outright mean. "What happened after your Duel with him in the Kaiba Dome?"

"Who told you about that?" Jack asked. He looked shocked. Sonja was uncertain –should she tell him that she had seen it in a vision, or let him sweat it out? He would deserve it after everything he had done to her and their other friends.

She sighed –she was way too nice.

"That birthmark of mine was glowing late at night after Yusei came to the City," she said. "It showed me both of your Dragons clashing and then a huge red dragon appeared out of nowhere," she said. Jack looked even more surprised that before and zipped past, leaving a trail of dust in his wake, as well as a shocked Sonja. Then she shrugged –it could have gone much worse.

Then she realised –Jack hadn't answered her question.

X

"I hear that you were the first student to register a partner for the GX Tournament, Robert," Andrea Turner mentioned over dinner that night. "So who is it?"

"I'm Duelling with Sonja," Robert said. "She's upgrading her Runner to accommodate two people. In fact, I asked her around to go over strategy this evening. I hope that's alright."

"Of course it is," Andrea said. "It will be nice to meet her again. You make it sound as though she is invincible."

"The blogs think that's true anyway," Andy piped in. "And according to that, she's only lost one Duel in the last month."

There was silence for a while. Then the front gate bell rang, and Andrea went to answer it. A few moments later, there was the crunch of gravel and Robert saw Sonja dismounting her Duel Runner. He saw the differences that Sonja had mentioned –there was a side-car attached to the frame, and the wings that had previously flanked the sides had obviously been removed. It was a dull grey –obviously she hadn't had time to paint it the same colour. He headed outside.

"That's pretty cool," he said. "That must have taken a while to put together."

"I had a good friend who was a skilled mechanist," Sonja said, Yusei in her mind. He had been there ever since she had had that chance encounter with Jack. What had happened at the end of that Duel, and where was Yusei now? She had expected it to be easy to find him after reaching the City himself, but there was absolutely no sign of him. "He taught me a lot about mechanical engineering."

"Let's go inside," Robert said; he had noticed the expression that had crossed her face –it was almost as though she was worried about that friend she mentioned.

They headed inside, and into the sitting room. The two flicked through their Decks. Sonja paused and removed two cards from her Deck, adding them to her side-Deck. "Those are two Winged-Beasts," she said to answer his quizzical look. "If we're going for a combined Dragon Deck, they'd be out of place."

"I'm using creatures other than Dragons in my Deck," Robert said. "They wouldn't be out of place at all."

"If we need them, I'll return them to my Deck," Sonja said, hoping that it wouldn't prove necessary to do so and risk exposing her true identity in front of a sold-out crowd. "So how about we start strategising?"

Sonja left after a couple of hours, sealing her Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys and Hand of Nephthys cards inside her Duel Runner –a section she had made to hold cards that she could swap in and out if needed.

They would stay in there unless she found herself in a spot where they were necessary.

X

The GX Tournament started the next week. Sonja had acted as a medium between the Street Duellists and students, easing over the interactions and choosing partners based on similar Decks that would supplement and assimilate with each other.

The side-car Sonja had attached to her Duel Runner had been painted red with purple streaks –it was a deliberate contrast to her Duel Runner's own colour scheme. Robert was sitting in the side car, a helmet on his head, all ready to go.

Robert was looking forward to this, and he was enjoying the attention he was getting since he had Sonja as his partner. The students knew the rumours of her reputation, and their partners knew she possessed the fastest Duel Runner they had ever seen.

After hours of meetings, Robert had decided that combining the brute force and power of their combined Dragon Decks with incredible speed to give them an advantage in Speed Spells was their best bet. It was certainly one that played to their strengths.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the annual GX Tournament," the Chancellor said. "This Tournament was founded to bring students closer to the rest of the world of Duel Monsters. Thank you all for coming to the Tournament, and I hope that this Duel marks the end of the division between Street Duellists and students of Duel Academia.

"If you are ready, we can begin. Each team has been given a number, and each is matched to the board. The selection was random, and the lots for each Duel are on-screen now.

"Let the GX Turbo-charged Tag Duel Tournament begin!"

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I know i set up the test to be like Akiza (AKI) license Duel, without the Duel -please don't hate me for it!

Next time:

Sonja's identity is exposed.

the Fortune Cup is about to begin!

UNTIL THEN!


	9. Chapter 9

**sorry its been so long, but here's the next few chapters**

**and i dont own Yugioh 5ds, etc...**

**enjoy and review**

**

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Chapter 9: Secrets Revealed

The early rounds to decide which teams went into the quarter-finals were easy for Sonja and Robert's team. Leo and Andy's teams were wiped out in the third round, and Dexter almost made it into the quarter-finals, losing out to another team.

Out of the friends, Sonja and Robert were the only two to make it into the final rounds.

It wasn't until the semi-finals that Sonja's Deck began to falter, gasping out monsters and spraying out Trap and Speed-spell cards. It was mainly due to Robert that they were able to pull out a come-from-behind win where they had previously been nearly invulnerable to damage, and had won without losing more than 2000 points out of their total of 8000.

"You should consider putting those cards into your Deck," Robert said as they took their break before the final match began. It was them against a combination of Machina and Stall tactics. Now Sonja felt as though she had chosen the teams a little too evenly. Both her brother and her Decks were built around powerful and fast attacks –the opposite and weakest strategy when it came to Stall Decks, and coupling that with the power of the Machina monsters made for a powerful team.

"I guess you're right," Sonja sighed. She hoped she would be able to win without her Sacred Phoenix and give herself away, but the Sacred Phoenix's ability to destroy all cards on the field if destroyed by a card effect upon its return might prove useful.

She didn't want to disappoint her brother –if they lost and her identity was already revealed, she didn't want him to think she wanted to lose.

X

The Duel was as hard as Sonja thought, and they were being forced into a difficult corner, with points being subtracted with each Flip Summon. They couldn't seem to keep a monster on the field for more than a few turns, until Robert was able to activate Mirror Force, destroying all the monsters on the opponent's field, but they only had one monster.

Sonja saw only one way to win. It would expose her secret, but now that she knew Robert so well she didn't think that would be so bad. It all depended on her next draw –she already had the Sacred Phoenix in her hand, but she needed the one card that would allow her to summon it in one turn. Their opponents had only 2000 LP left, due mainly to early hits before the other team's strategy had kicked in. If she was successful in her strategy, then she would be able to finish this in one turn.

She drew and against all odds drew the one card she needed.

"I activate the Speed Spell Giant Trunade," she said, and sent all the cards on the field back to the owner's hands. Robert glanced up at her, surprised at the strategy but trusting her.

"With the field open, I can summon Hand of Nephthys from my hand," she went on as the priestess dressed in red and sporting a gold crown with the resemblance of a giant bird of prey. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I activate Hand of Nephthys' effect. I release both my Hand of Nephthys and Robert's Luster Dragon in order to summon the Sacred Phoenix of Nephthys."

As the hologram burst into a 3D flaming bird that flew overhead, Sonja could only imagine the looks on her parents' faces as they saw their daughter's favourite card being played right in front of their eyes. Robert was just looking amazed at the sight, and their opponents were worried as they figured out that the Duel was over for them. They had no way to stop the attack that was surely coming.

"Finish this! Attack!" Sonja ordered, and the other team found all their life points destroyed in one blast of holographic flame.

They came to a stop in front of the stadium as everyone clapped and whistled; Sonja's phoenix flickered out of existence as the Duel ended and the engine slowed. Sonja sat quietly while Robert acknowledged the cheering.

Her secret was out in the open –her life as an Underground Duellist was probably over. It wasn't as though it was a bad thing, but her independence was over.

The winning ceremony was soon over; both Sonja and Robert were presented with bouquets of flowers and award money of $1000 each. The final winning gifts were sets of rare and powerful Cards.

Sonja didn't stay for the post-Tournament party, despite what Robert had expected. Disappointed, Robert headed for the Damien area and Sonja's apartment. His parents followed at a distance. They followed him until they saw light coming from an open garage. They could hear voices coming from inside and moved closer until they could hear what the two were talking about.

"Why were you so reluctant to play that Phoenix?" Robert asked. "If you had used it for more than that one Duel, we might never have nearly lost."

"It is a risky strategy to play," Sonja said. "So many things could have gone wrong at any point of that summoning. It needs very specific circumstances to allow me to summon it."

"You're not telling me the truth!" Robert said. "You acted as though that combo was something to be ashamed of."

There was silence for a while, and Henry led his wife into the garage. Both Robert and Sonja turned to see them standing there. Andrea broke the silence.

"Is your name really Sonja Walker?" she asked. Sonja could see the tears in the woman's eyes, and she couldn't stand to see them upset and confused. She sighed.

"Sonja Walker is the name I grew up with... in the Satellite," she said. "But I recently learnt it wasn't my real name."

"You are Emily, aren't you?" Henry said, and his estranged daughter nodded slowly. Robert was looking totally confused.

It took a while for Henry and Andrea to fill the gaps in Robert's knowledge. Apparently they had never told him about her disappearance, for fear he would never give up trying to find her.

And it was a long time until Sonja finished telling them about her time in the Satellite –her friends, the time she had spent as a member of the Enforcers, and her departure as a newly recruited Champion to become a City Underground Duellist.

"I know it's not much of a trade-up, but for a kid raised in the Satellite it's still a big step-up," she concluded. "Every single kid dreams of coming to the City, recognised as Duellists. Life is hard in the Satellite, and I was just another one who lived alone a great deal."

"So what do we call you now?" Robert asked. "I've known you as Sonja for so long it won't feel real to call you Emily."

"I've grown up as Sonja since I was four years old. It feels like my real name more than Emily does."

"Then we will call you Sonja," Henry said. "It does seem to suit you."

"And we won't take away your independence," Andrea said. "You can continue to compete in the Underground and on the Streets. But we do insist that you start coming to visit us more frequently."

"I understand," Sonja promised. "Thank you, Mum and Dad. See you soon, Robert."

X

"There's no way!" Leo laughed as he sat with Robert, Andy and Dexter. Robert had just finished telling them that Sonja was actually his sister. "Quit pulling our legs!"

"But he's not joking!" Andy said, straight-faced. "Sonja really is our sister! I was surprised as well, when our parents brought her back and told me the truth as well."

"I thought there was something uncanny about how similar your Decks were," Dexter said, turning to Robert.

"Yeah, when I first went up against her, I thought her strategy was almost identical to yours," Andy told his brother.

"Is it possible that Duelling strategies and styles run in the family?" Dexter asked, pushing his glasses higher up his nose.

"Our styles are supposed to be a reflection of ourselves, not run in genes. It could have been very different if Sonja had grown up here and not in –another city," Robert said, almost blurting out that she came from the Satellite. Even Andy didn't know that little detail.

At the end of the day, Robert and Andy started to head for a bus heading past his home, but a Duel Runner pulled up beside them. It was Sonja, the side-car attached to her Runner. She had obviously come to pick him up. Andy clambered into the side-car and Robert climbed on behind her after reaching out to give her a tentative hug which she returned. The feel of the wind whistling through his hair was incredibly enjoying.

They pulled into the driveway in record time and headed into the house. Andrea was already home.

"Would you like to go with Robert and Andy to the Fortune Cup?" she asked Sonja, showing her three tickets to the Security-hosted Tournament. "The stadium doesn't allow kids to go alone, and your father and I are too busy with work."

Even in the Satellite, the Fortune Cup was a popular event. It was a chance for hotshot Duellists to examine eight randomly selected Duellists and culminated in the big Championship Title match.

"I'd love to go," Sonja said. It had been a dream of hers to attend the tournament. "This is going to be great."

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Coming up -

The Fortune Cup Starts, and old friends are reunited


	10. Chapter 10

**i dont own Yugioh 5ds, etc...

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Chapter 10: The Fortune Cup Begins

The Kaiba Dome was almost full –the Fortune Cup was a sold-out event. Sonja sat with her newly-found younger brothers halfway up the stadium in the middle on the side of the start line for Turbo Duels.

There was a sudden roar and Red Dragon Archfiend soared into the Arena. It settled on a podium, followed by a white Duel Runner that Sonja recognised immediately –it was Jack.

"New Domino City, what say we kick this Tournament into overdrive?" he shouted, in his trademark position of pointing up at the sky. He was greeted by loud cheers. Sonja was pretty sure that Andy was being the loudest of all –she knew that he idolised her ex-friend.

"Now it's time to meet the lucky Duellists who will face off to get the chance to Duel against the King Jack Atlas! The Fortune-Eight!" the MC shouted while the eight Duellists rose from underground on a trapdoor.

"Now let's hear it for the always-mysterious Shira!" the MC said as the screen fixed on a man completely covered in a black robe. "The great Greiger!" the screen moved on to a tall burly man. "Commander Koda, the Professor, Miss Akiza Izinski," the MC went on, pausing at a young woman with a serious expression. "Sir Randsborg," the picture moved on to a man dressed up in a golden suit of armour that looked like something right out of a medieval movie. "The lovely Luna," the man said as the cameras paused at a girl that Sonja recognised as Leo's twin sister. "And Yusei Fudo!"

The cameras stopped as Sonja froze. Yusei was actually competing? But as she looked closed, she saw a yellow-gold line on one side of his face. It was a Marker, worn by those who were branded as no-goods. Sonja couldn't believe he had actually been caught by Sector Security.

She then noticed that the crowd was muttering venomous words. Slowly a swell of voices began to chant –"Who's the loser?" they repeated it over and over again. Sonja clenched her fists in her lap –she knew the people of the City looked down on those from the Satellite, but this was ridiculous. Robert noticed his sister's eyes were fixed on the Satellite.

"Do you know him?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sonja said. "He was the one who taught me mechanics. Yusei was one of my best friends. I knew he was in the City, but I wasn't expecting him to have a Mark."

"I have to say something," a voice boomed around the stadium, and the crowd immediately quietened down. Sonja saw that the Duellist known as Greiger had grabbed the microphone from the MC and was addressing the crowd.

"My name is Greiger. I know things are different in this City, but where I come from you judge a guy on his spirit. This kid right here may have been branded by our people as a no-good, but when I look at him all I see is a Duellist. And being a Duellist myself, that means I have to respect him until he gives me a reason not to. Because a Duellist doesn't judge another Duellist based on where he comes from, whose family he is or how much money he has. That isn't what really matters."

He turned away while the crowd sat in silence. Then there was clapping from the podium as Rex Goodwin applauded the speech. Soon everyone in the stadium was joining in, although Sonja doubted any of them actually felt any remorse for the jeering they had just done.

"Thank you for those well-chosen and heartfelt words," Goodwin said, getting to his feet. "In our world, social status and personal wealth draw a line between us and our fellow man. But I had a vision of a Duel tournament that would, even for a fleeting while, remove that line, a tournament separate from the competition of life, where the haves and the have-nots could meet on a level playing field and prove themselves to each other and to the world. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Fortune Cup!"

The crowd cheered as the sky lit up with fireworks, signalling the start of the tournament.

"Let's turn to the bracket shuffler and find out who's Duelling who in the first match!" the MC announced. Eight pictures to represent the Duellists flicked on an overhead screen. Yusei's appeared beside the man known as Shira, and Luna was up against Greiger in the very first Duel.

About ten minutes later, the first Duel was set to begin. Sonja got to her feet.

"Where are you going, Sonja?" Andy asked. "The Duel is about to start."

"I'm going back-stage," Sonja said. Her family had brought tickets that permitted any of them to go back-stage at any time over the course of the tournament. And she wanted to see Yusei and get some answers.

She gave Robert some of the money she had been given to buy food with during the day, and told them to buy something if she wasn't back by the end of the Duel.

She slipped to the area under the arena and found the room where the Duellists could watch the other Duels. She was surprised to find it nearly empty. Only Yusei was inside, watching the Duel that was going on overhead.

Yusei turned towards her as she shut the door behind her. At first, he was surprised at the sight of her there, but then he smiled.

"I'm glad you got here alright," Sonja said. "But what happened to you after you Duelled Jack?"

"How did you know that?" Yusei asked. Obviously he was as surprised as Jack had been that she knew about that. Sonja told him about her dream, and how her birthmark had glowed crimson that night. Yusei was surprised, but he let her finish talking.

Then he told her everything –the ending of the Duel, the appearance of the Crimson Dragon, his time in the Facility. Then he told her why he was competing –his friends would have been in serious danger if he hadn't competed.

Sonja put a hand to her mouth –she couldn't believe Yusei's friends –her friends –were in such danger. And there was nothing she could do to help them. Yusei saw the look in her eyes.

"Don't worry; one of my friends here in the City, Blister, has gone over to check up on them. I'm sure to hear from him soon. Now it's your turn, Sonja –how did you get here?"

Sonja told him about winning the Tournament, meeting Andy and Robert, finding out about her family and the reunion.

"I would never have guessed you were from the Tops," Yusei said. "I take it you've seen Leo and Luna before?"

"Yes," Sonja said.

"Leo's actually competing in the tournament for his sister," Yusei said. Sonja glanced at the screen behind her friend. Greiger had a Summon Reactor SK, Trap Reactor Y FI and Spell Reactor RE out on the field. His opponent had a Gadget Hauler on the field. Sonja had seen that combo during the Tag-Duel Tournament, and she knew it was Leo who used monsters that were Morphtronics.

"Do you think he can win?" Sonja asked.

"We'll soon see," Yusei said as Leo took an 800 point hit for playing Factory of 100 Machines, allowing him to remove all his Morphtronic monsters from play, powering his Gadget Hauler all the way up to 2900. Greiger only had 2100 LP remaining –if this worked, Leo could win in this round. He called his attack on Trap Reactor Y FI.

The dust began to clear. Greiger was still standing, all his Life Points safe. He chuckled.

"You may be small, but you have a warrior's spirit," he said. "As a warrior myself, I salute your strength."

"Well, thanks I guess. But how come you're not damaged?" Leo asked, looking scared.

The dust cleared, and the trap Delta Reactor was revealed.

"Uh-oh," Sonja muttered. There were very few things that could stand against the machine that was summoned via that card. Flying Fortress SKY FIRE appeared on the field, 3000 Attack points and all. On screen, Leo was trembling as he looked up at it.

"It looks like Greiger has activated his fateful trump card!" the announcer exclaimed. "This Duel might be over! Could Luna be our first loser?"

Greiger activated its special ability and sent one card to the Graveyard to destroy Gadget Hauler before he attacked directly, depleting Leo's sparse 800 LP.

"It's over!" the MC commented. On screen, Leo dropped to his knees. "Grieger will be advancing to the next round, and Luna will be getting a gift basket!"

"That must suck," Sonja said. "But he almost had it."

Sonja decided to head back to the stands. As they came out of the room, they saw Leo walking with Dexter and Luna. He looked pretty down.

"It's not like everyone saw you lose," Luna said, trying to cheer her brother up. Of course, Dexter didn't help when he quoted just how many people had been in the stadium and watching it on live TV.

"It's not a loss if you learned something," Yusei said as they got closer. "Now you know more than before, right Leo?"

"Yeah, more about losing," Leo said. "I can't wait to use that in my next match."

"Yusei's got a point, Leo," Sonja said. "Sometimes a Duellist learns more from defeat than victory. Everyone loses every now and then."

It was obvious that the three were surprised to see Sonja with Yusei, acting as though she knew him. None of them knew about the two's friendship from back in the Satellite. But before they could ask questions they had to move to the side as one of the Duellists came through.

As she passed, Sonja felt her birthmark arm tingle as though momentarily set on fire. She clutched it briefly and glanced at Yusei. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he had felt it too.

"See you around, Yusei," she said, heading off. "Good luck in your Turbo Duel."

X

"There you are!" Robert said as Sonja slipped into her seat. "The next Duel is about to start."

From the looks of it, they had gotten food during her absence –Andy was happily chomping on a hotdog. And it looked as though they had brought her something, and she accepted the beef burger they had saved for her. To her surprise, it wasn't the junk-thrown-into-the-middle burger she had known in the Satellite –it was high quality, even for an event like this, and it was great.

The lights dimmed as he finished talking. A platform rose, and the man in the gold medieval armour appeared. Sonja raised a hand to hide her smirk –that outfit reminded her of a Halloween where she and Crow had conspired to dress Jack like that. They had been ten years old at the time -it had been a great laugh.

"Good people of New Domino, ye shall know my blade and my Deck from the attacks ye shall witness!" the man –Gil de Randsborg, if Sonja remembered correctly –proclaimed dramatically.

"While we wait for a Shakespearean scholar to translate all that, let's get ready for his opponent!" the MC went on. "Now entering the arena, with a record of –well, let's hear it for Miss Akiza Izinski!"

His opponent was the woman Sonja had seen in the hall. Suddenly she heard a high-pitched growl coming from somewhere, but she couldn't tell where from. It was weird –she hadn't heard those noises since she had been a young girl.

But it did give her a feeling of foreboding, as though there was something wrong.

She focused her mind back on the Duel just as Randsborg laid a face-down and had a Level 5 Masked Knight on the field. He had already reduced her Life Points to 2600.

Akiza summoned a Wall of Ivy and activated a Spell that allowed her to summon Copy Plant, raising its level to 5.

She released both monsters on the field for a Synchro Summon. As she did so, an intense pain shot through Sonja's arm. She placed a hand over it as it began to glow crimson. It felt like it had that night –when it had first burnt and she had seen that vision.

A red dragon with a black body rose from the ground. Checking the database, Sonja read that it was called the Black Rose Dragon. On the arena, Randsborg was shouting.

"So it's true! Thou be the Black Rose! Stay back!"

"The Black Rose?" Sonja repeated. Robert guessed she hadn't been around long enough to have heard the rumours.

"She's infamous around the Damian area. She's supposed to be able to bring her cards to life," he told her. "The damage is real, and any Spell and Trap Cards work like real ones." Sonja frowned –that sounded really familiar. The Psychic Mania had had that sort of power too –it really hurt if you were hit during a Psychic Duel.

The Duel continued; the Black Rose Dragon disappeared with all the other cards on the field, and the field became surrounded in the Field Spell Black Garden, Akiza turned Randsborg's own monsters against him. But it looked as though Randsborg would win, especially when he cracked her combo and brought her life points down to a sparse 50.

"Looks like she's going to lose," Robert said. "Too bad –I thought she was supposed to be the best around."

"I wouldn't count her out of the running yet," Sonja said. Robert glanced at his sister –did she honestly think the Black Rose could turn this around?

Akiza activated the effect of her Black Garden, destroying it and her three Tokens of Rose that had 800-Attack-Points apiece to return a monster from her Graveyard.

"Now if my maths is correct, and it always is, then Akiza has sacrificed enough attack points to summon Black Rose Dragon!" the MC commented.

"That's not going to cut it," Andy said as the dragon emerged from the glowing purple flames that had engulfed the remains of the field Spell. As the field Spell vanished, Masked Knight Level 7's attack points returned to Randsborg still had a face-down left on his field.

"She's not finished yet," Sonja said.

She was right –Akiza removed her Wall of Ivy from the Graveyard to activate Black Rose Dragon's effect. The Knight's attack points went down to 0.

"Thou cannot do that to me!" Randsborg said, dropping his accent as he began to panic. "It's not fair. I spend all year making this costume for this special tournament. I'm not supposed to lose!"

"Well, too bad," Akiza said, preparing for the final strike. "And the next time you want to play dress-up, you should remember that it's what's on the inside that counts!"

The Duel ended as Randsborg was engulfed in purple flames and fell to the ground. There was a stunned silence, and then the crowd began to boo.

"How did you know she was going to win?" Andy asked as the Black Rose Dragon left the field, signalling the end of the Duel. Sonja wasn't sure how to answer that.

Robert saw that his sister was holding a hand over her left arm. He couldn't be certain, but he thought he saw a tinge of red glowing on her arm before it vanished. Unsure what it was, he decided to forget about it for the moment. He looked over his program.

"I think it's your friend's turn next," he said, deftly changing the subject. "I can't wait to see a Turbo Duel."

Sonja smiled; she was glad her brother wasn't pestering her. She was looking forward to the next Duel as well.


	11. Chapter 11

**i dont own Yugioh 5ds, etc...

* * *

**

Chapter 11: The Signer of the Heart

It was time for the first Turbo Duel of the Fortune Cup, and the energy in the stadium was at its highest. Sonja sat with her family, eating a cheeseburger for lunch. There were two more Duels to go before the end of the day.

"I know we're all still reeling from that second match," the MC announced. "But it's almost time for our third. Its Yusei verses Shira!"

Sonja had heard that name before –Shira was an Underground Turbo Duellist who went by the name Shadow Reaper. He fought hard and difficult, and didn't exactly play fair. There were reports that he had shoved his opponents, forcing them to crash. Sonja had faced him in a Duel herself –it was the one match she had lost, and it had taken days of work and grease to get the dents out of her Duel Runner.

She didn't even know if he could be beaten.

"It's time for the Fortune Cup's first Turbo Duel!" the MC announced, causing a huge wave of cheering to rise from the spectators.

"He's the spunky punk trying to get from third to first class! He's the little Satellite who could! Duelling fans, I give you Yusei!"

Yusei flew out of one of the connecting tunnels and stopped on the track. The crowd began to boo and hurl insults at him. Sonja sighed –it looked as though Greiger's announcement hadn't taken; there was still a deep divide between Yusei and the residents of New Domino City.

"Duelling him is the ever-mysterious shadow creeper himself, Shira!"

The Underground Duellist emerged onto the track, and was met with cheers as people urged him to defeat Yusei.

The two pulled up at the starting line and, in a few seconds, flew off. A gasp rippled through the crowd –the man sitting on the Runner was Hunter Pace, the ex-champ, and not Shira.

"This is the mother of all surprises!" the MC shouted into his mike, clearly as surprised as everyone else. "That's not Shira! That's the former Champion, the mad biker, the phantom of fire –it's Hunter Pace!"

"What the hell happened to Shira?" Sonja asked. No-one would be able to answer –they were as shocked as she was. She wasn't sure how she felt about this –on one hand, she was relieved that Yusei wouldn't have to deal with the rough play of Shira; but on the other hand, she got the feeling that Hunter Pace may be too much for Yusei to handle.

The Duellists revved up –it looked like Yusei was willing to take Hunter's challenge. Seeing that, Sonja felt her confidence in her friend rise again. He'd show them all.

"Goodwin has green-lit Hunter's challenge!" the MC announced. "We are a-go! The Duel is on!"

From the second round, it was obvious that Hunter was emphasising speed with his new flame Deck. Sonja had watched him Duel for years before Jack had become number one, and she had never seen him Duel this way before.

Still, it was nothing that Yusei couldn't keep up with as he activated Slipstream. Hunter outpaced him again. But Yusei had an answer to each problem Hunter threw at him. He Synchro-Summoned Junk Warrior, but the attack was repelled.

"Are you sure that Satellite stands a chance?" Andy asked as Pace activated the Speed Spell End of Storm, damaging Yusei for 600 points and summoned Speed King Skull Flame, leaning forward to address his sister. Sonja didn't take her eyes off the field for a while. "Hunter's better than he ever was before."

Yusei changed strategy, purposefully lowering his own Speed Counters to two.

"What is he doing?" Robert asked as Yusei pulled back.

"Easy," Sonja said. "Shift Down allows you to draw two new cards. He's going for a specific card. Yusei never quits believing in his Deck."

Yusei's combo kicked in as he summoned Nitro Warrior and used it to destroy Speed King Skull Flame and defeat Hunter Pace, whose Runner spun across the track.

"It's over! There's just no luck for the one-time Champion these days –his dream goes up in smoke again!"

Sonja leant back in her chair and sucked in a relived breath –that had been close. If Yusei kept making it this close, he'd eventually give her a heart attack.

* * *

There was another Duel, but Sonja decided to leave the stadium for a while –she needed a breath of air after that intense Duel. As she left the stands, she was confronted by several suits with black sunglasses on.

"Miss Turner, Director Goodwin requests your presence in the box," said a voice from behind her. Sonja turned around to see a short man dressed in a white and gold outfit with a redcoat that had gold trimmings and a black collar.

"Who are you?" she asked. The man made a small bow to her.

"Special Deputy Lazar," he introduced himself. "I work for Director Goodwin."

Sonja recognised the name Lazar –Yusei had told her that he was responsible for delivering the invitation and the threat about their friends.

"What does he want?" Sonja asked. The man only smiled and chuckled.

"If you come with us, you'll know in due time."

Sonja decided to play along for now, and was escorted to the box that overlooked the entire stadium.

Rex Goodwin stood in front of the glass, watching the unfolding Duel. It was certainly spacious, with a sofa and drinks cabinet. Sitting on the sofa was Jack; it felt a little awkward to be in the same room as him again, and he was avoiding her eye.

"Miss Turner, please take a seat," Goodwin said, turning away from the window and giving her his full attention.

"I think I'll remain standing," she said. Her eyes slid to Jack before returning to Goodwin. "So what do you want?"

"I wanted to check that you were alive and well," Goodwin said. "Your disappearance threw us for quite a loop. I would never have guessed that you would find a way back from the Satellite. I trust you are well, Emily?"

Jack was watching the conversation –obviously he had told Goodwin about their meeting and what she had told him, but he hadn't heard the whole story about her past.

"The name's Sonja," she replied. "And you didn't invite me here just to talk about that. Is this about my mark?" she asked, rolling up her sleeve to show off her birthmark. "It's been burning recently."

"I see," Goodwin said.

"Tell her what you told me, Goodwin," Jack said, obviously unable to keep quiet anymore. "You sought out me and Yusei because of these marks. Does Sonja have one or not? Is that why you wanted to speak with her?"

"Very well, if that is what my Champion wants," Goodwin said. Sonja was surprised Jack had spoken like that to Goodwin, but finding out the truth about her birthmark was more important.

"This all began in a pre-Incan civilisation known as the People of the Stars," Goodwin began. "They worshipped a great red star. When their people were in trouble, this celestial force took on the form of a great Crimson dragon. You might have caught a glimpse of it at some point."

Sonja remembered the huge dragon that had appeared during the Duel between Jack and Yusei –had that been the Crimson Dragon.

"Five thousand years ago, the Crimson Dragon appeared to banish the demons who were attacking the world," Goodwin continued. "The Dragon and its five servant dragons sealed those dark forces underground. One of the Dragons was sealed along with those dark forces –the Ancient Fairy Dragon."

"But how does any of this relate to here and now, and my mark?" Sonja asked.

"I wasn't finished," Goodwin said before continuing. "As I was saying, the forces may have been sealed, but there was a fear that they would one day return. So they gave their powers to five humans as marks that would be passed down through the generations, in the hope that the Crimson Dragon could be released again when it was needed.

"There were originally five Signers, but it seems to have been further divided to six. Each one holds a piece of the great strategy of the Crimson Dragon. I believe your mark represents the Heart of the Dragon, the force that unified the Signs together.

"Finding the Signers is of the utmost importance right now," Goodwin said. "You can feel their presence even if their powers aren't active. So if you sense such a presence, please let us know right away."

"I get the feeling that you already have a way to detect these Signers," Sonja said. "And you have Jack. He's a Signer, so you should be able to detect them through him, shouldn't you? If that's the case, then there's no need for me to be involved."

Sonja left as a cheer rose –the Duel had ended. She had to head to her seat to meet her family before they went home.

"Sonja, wait!"

Jack appeared beside her. She reluctantly turned to face him.

"So what's all this about you actually being called Emily?" he asked. Sonja sighed and explained what she had recently found out about her family and the kidnapping that had put her in the Satellite thirteen years ago.

There was an uncomfortable silence as she finished. Then the magnified voice of the MC echoed.

"The rumours you have heard are true! Listen up, first-round losers; don't head for the exits just yet! Rex Goodwin, our Master of Ceremonies, has set up a loser's bracket for the first round. That means if you lost, grab your Deck because you might get a second chance to Duel again!"

Sonja headed back to her seat as Jack headed back to the tower. Both of them were thinking the same thing –Goodwin never gave second chances unless he would get something out of it. Just what was he planning?

* * *

Coming up next -

prepare for a trip to the Spirit World


	12. Chapter 12

sorry for the very long unofficial hiatus.

i'm going to try and update more frequently from now on.

enjoy, and be nice when reviewing

* * *

**Chapter 12: Memories of the Spirit World**

"There you are!" Robert said as Sonja sat down and crossed her arms. "Where were you?"

"On the toilet," Sonja said. She didn't feel like telling Robert everything when she didn't understand most of it herself. Robert sensed her bad mood and quickly changed the subject.

"Luna was picked to compete," he told her. "I hope she does better than Leo did."

"So you picked up on that?" Sonja asked. Leo must have thought he could conceal the fact that he was a boy, but he hadn't stayed in character enough to fool his friends.

"Luna's Deck is full of fairies," Andy said. "It's a pretty major difference. And Luna was never so hyperactive during a Duel."

The lights dimmed, and the spotlight fixed on Luna who was sitting in the stands. She made her way down the steps, clutching her Duel Disk tightly.

"I hope she'll be alright," Robert said. "She keeps on claiming to be able to hear Monster Spirits whenever she Duels."

Sonja had the feeling that she should be a lot more worried about Luna's mental wellbeing, but she wasn't concerned, almost as though she thought it was normal to hear Duel Spirits.

A flicker of colour and movement on her sleeve caught her eye. As she looked closer, the colours solidified. A tiny yellow dragon was almost sitting on her arm, its wings folded and its tail wrapped around her elbow. It was looking at her out of huge cute green eyes (1).

It brought back a memory, faint and fading. This had been one of the first cards she had found as a kid, and back then she had felt as though she had some strange bond with it. She knew this was a Duel Spirit, and she had somehow lost the ability to see them ten years ago after that Duel with Yusei had ended in her collapsing. She had been seven at the time.

The MC cut into her thoughts. Looking down, she saw that Luna was standing on the platform.

"Now entering the Arena is the little Duellist who could, the pint-sized prodigy, Luna!"

The crowd cheered, and the MC continued.

"And now for her opponent, the Dean of the Deck, the brain of the game, the Professor!" the smoke cleared to reveal a young man in a full-length tunic and cap. "He's got a PhD in psychology, hypnology and Duelling, so Luna had better look out!"

He moved forward and bowed to Luna. He said something to her, but Sonja couldn't make it out. The Duel began with a reminder that only the winner would advance.

Luna summoned out Sunny Pixie. The Professor summoned out Symmetry Rorschach, which vibrated on the field with no real form. The Petit Dragon on Sonja's arm moved up to lurk behind her shoulder, and Sonja understood –that thing was bad news. But she felt like she was being drawn towards it.

"Something's wrong about this," Sonja said. She hadn't meant to say it out loud, but Robert heard her. He looked quizzically at her, but saw her whole attention was focused on the monster on the Professor's field. It looked as though she couldn't look away.

The fairy exploded and the Duel continued. The Professor's voice washed around the stadium, only affecting Luna and Sonja. Luna's eyes became lifeless, and yet she was still there. The field Spell Ancient Forest surrounded the Duellists. Monsters could only be summoned and stay in Attack mode and would be destroyed at the end of the turn if they attacked. The Professor chuckled.

"Some people say this forest resembles someplace else. Fighting forbidden, secrets revealed –why it's just like the Spirit World. Take us there now."

Sonja's Mark of the Dragon was just starting to glow as her eyes become distant and dull. She could no longer hear the crowd or the commentary, and she couldn't respond to her brother as he grew more concerned about her behaviour.

X

Sonja opened her eyes slowly. There was no sign of the stadium or her brothers, or the crowd. She was alone, standing at the edge of a glen, and through the trees, she could make out Luna. It looked like the Ancient Forest Field Spell, but something told her that she had crossed into the Spirit World. Her memory was returning. The spirit of the Petit Dragon was with her, and when she touched its head, it was solid and warm.

She too had some connection to the Spirit World, but she was concerned for Luna as she watched. It looked as though the Duel was continuing as a clamp shut around her Kuribon, and a huge blue creature appeared before her.

She was tempted to run to her aid, but a voice echoed around her.

"Luna has another reason for being here," it said. It was a deep voice that seemed to be vibrating in her head. "Your reason is separate from hers for now. You will reunite in the Human World. Right now, I need your help more than she does."

"Who are you?" Sonja asked. She wanted to stay and make sure Luna was still safe, but she was turning away from the Duel, following the order she had been given. "Why do I get the feeling I know you?"

"I am glad you have returned, and I can help you remember your past," the voice said. "Summon out a Dragon and they will bring you to me."

Sonja summoned a Luster Dragon, and the blue Dragon let her clamber on its back, the Petit Dragon wrapping itself around her wrist. She looked back as the Dragon Duel Monster took off, and saw that Luna had summoned out a Sunlight Unicorn and equipped it with Horn of the Unicorn.

"You will be able to help Luna and me," the voice said, as though it knew her thoughts. "But you won't be of much good to the Signers if you don't have your Signer Dragon."

"Are you my Signer Dragon?" Sonja asked.

"No," the voice replied. "But I am the servant of the Signer Dragon that does belong to you."

The Dragon flew her into a range of Mountains, similar to the field Spell in her Deck. If she remembered all the rules correctly, it increased the power of Dragon, Winged Beast and Thunder-type monsters by 200 points.

The Luster Dragon stopped in a valley among the mountains. It was dark down here, and it obviously didn't get much sunlight.

"Sorry about the dim light down here, but I can't stand the daylight," the voice from before said. It felt as though the words were rumbled from the depths of the earth. Sonja swallowed, slightly nervous.

"So where are you?" she asked. The ground shook and five heads emerged into lighter shadows. Sonja didn't need to see the body to know that this was the Five-Headed Dragon. It was one of the most dangerous fusion types around, with 5000 Attack and Defence points and impervious to all attacks that weren't from Light Monsters.

"You're the servant of a Signer Dragon?" she asked, and the five heads nodded together. Sonja couldn't imagine the power the other Dragon had to possess to have such a powerful card as its servant.

"Yes," the dragon said, withdrawing its heads. "I represent the hearts of five dragons combined into one. My master represents a purity of heart that will end the chaos occurring in both our worlds."

"So where can I find him?" Sonja asked.

"That is the difficult part," the dragon said. "My soul will create a new card in your Deck when you return now that we have finally met. But your Signer Dragon is held captive just as the Dragon of Luna is held in a rock face. The forces of evil run wild over this world."

"So what can we do?" Sonja asked. "Why were we chosen?"

"Don't you remember?" the dragon said. "You came here ten years ago, and stayed here with us for months. There was more than enough time to explain it to you."

"I 'm sorry, but I forgot," Sonja said. "I'm only just starting to remember. I only saw Petit Dragon a few minutes ago, and I haven't seen spirits since I woke up all those years ago."

"I see," the Dragon said. "You do know that you are a Signer, don't you?"

"Yes," Sonja replied.

"There is a Dragon known as Ancient Fairy Dragon, and she is Luna's Dragon," the Dragon went on. "You came here, drawn by your love for Dragons even then, and met your Signer Dragon. Do you not remember?"

Sonja closed her eyes. She really wanted to remember, so she thought about the blocks that she had built in her mind, the ones that were only just starting to fall apart.

X

Then she remembered.

She saw herself riding on Dragons and playing with the smaller Dragons that could not fly well, here in the mountains. It had been a paradise to her. And then she remembered the Dragon she had seen watching over the landscape.

It had been a huge burnished red Dragon with two sets of wings, smaller at the front and larger at the back. Its face had been surrounded by horns and a long ridge had flowed down its neck and to the beginning of the tail. Its eyes had been a dark chocolate brown. It had been the supreme Dragon. She had seen it flying around the volcano on the edge of the mountain range. (2)

Then a gust of cold air had blasted across the mountainside, and most of the smaller Dragons had been blown away. She had held onto Petit Dragon to prevent him from being blown away too. Then the breeze had stopped, and snow had begun to fall. The grass had begun to turn grey and the wild flowers wilted.

The dragon had come to her as she shivered and covered her in its wings.

"The seasons and the flow of nature have been disturbed," the dragon had told her. "Soon the land will begin to change. And as it does so, we will be in danger. It won't be just the Dragons who will be in danger –all the Monster Spirits that live in this world will fall to the same fate."

"I won't let anything happen to the Spirit World!" Sonja remembered saying. "I'll fight to save you all and this world."

"You may be small, but you have the heart of a Dragon," the Dragon had said. "Thank you, Sonja."

X

"I remember!" Sonja said as she opened her eyes. She darted outside and looked around. The landscape had changed. It was dry and the grass was in brown patches rather than being spread out in a lush green carpet. Rocks stuck up everywhere. It wasn't the paradise from ten years ago.

She couldn't believe she had forgotten.

"Where is Chaos End Dragon?" Sonja asked.

"Sealed in the volcano by evil forces," the Five-Headed Dragon said. "Go to him if you wish, but you won't be able to free him unless you defeat the Dark Signer who holds the shackles of him and the Ancient Fairy Dragon."

Sonja said her thanks and flew off on the Luster Dragon that had brought her here. They soon arrived at the volcano, where Sonja found the entrance to the cave where the Chaos End Dragon had taken her after that snowstorm.

She entered and froze in horror. The Five-Headed Dragon had been speaking the truth. The Chaos End Dragon could have been carved out of the rock, and left to fall apart.

"I'm going to stop this, I promise," she whispered, approaching the Dragon. "And this time, I won't forget this world."

As she sat beside her Dragon, she heard a voice calling to her. She knew that voice, and felt something like déjà vu. Now she remembered why she had left when she had fallen into a coma –she had heard her friends and wanted their company.

But this time was different –she hadn't fallen asleep in the stadium. She had been hypnotised into a trance, the same as Luna. She would remember this time.

It was time to leave the Spirit World, but she had decided that she would return.

(1) Petit Dragon, for those who can't tell by the description. It has 600 Attack and 700 Defence points. It is a Level 2 Wind Attribute Dragon-type. And I think it's just so cute!

(2) It's called the Chaos End Dragon. It's supposed to be a Level 10 Fire Attribute Dragon Synchro monster, with 3200 Attack Points and 3000Defense Points. Its' effect is to destroy all other cards on the field when it is Synchro-summoned , and gain attack points equal to a FIRE-type monster that you discard from your hand.


	13. Chapter 13

Here's a new update -enjoy and be nice in reviewing.

I don't own YuGiOh or anything related to it.

* * *

When Sonja opened her eyes, there were collective sighs. Looking around, she saw her parents and brother at the foot of her bed, and Yusei, Andy and Luna beside her. Looking around, she saw that she was in the attic room her parents had set aside for her use.

This really was like déjà vu. All her friends and foster-parents had been gathered around her last time as well. Back then, she had woken up to see the faces of Kalin, Yusei, Jack, Crow and the kids from the orphanage as well as Martha, the matron of the orphanage.

Now so many of those faces had been replaced by changes in her life.

"You gave us a good scare," Robert said. He looked as though he had been crying, although he hurried to wipe away the evidence. "Don't do that again!"

"We'll leave you alone," Henry said, and he had his wife left the room, Andrea muttering something about heating some soup. Sonja looked at Yusei as the four gathered around her bed, sitting on easy chairs.

"How long was I out for?" she asked.

"A couple of hours," Yusei told her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Sonja replied reassuringly. "It wasn't as though it was another coma, you know."

"You've been in a coma before?" Luna asked. Yusei and Sonja told her about what had happened ten years ago, how she had collapsed during a Duel at the age of seven and remained unconscious for several months before waking up. "That sounds similar to what happened to me eight years ago!"

"It was that Professor guy," Sonja said. "The last thing I remember was his voice. Then I found myself in the Spirit World."

"You were in the Spirit World too?" Luna asked. "Where were you? I never saw you."

"I went to some mountains and met the servant of my Signer Dragon," Sonja said.

"So you have a Mark like mine and Luna's?" Yusei asked. He was surprised that his childhood friend had the same ability as Luna to enter the world of Duel Spirits, not to mention the fact that she knew about the Signers.

Sonja rolled up her sleeve to show off her birthmark.

"What's all this about Marks, Signers and the Spirit World? Aren't you all too old for make-believe?" Robert asked. The other three turned to him –they had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they had forgotten about him.

"It's not make-believe, Robby," Sonja said. "It's complicated, and none of us understand everything yet. But there's something going on, something that affects both our world and the world of the Duel Spirits. Those who possess these Marks are the only ones who can hope to stop it. I think this whole Tournament was set up to find the Signers."

Sonja told them everything Goodwin had told her.

"So far, we know that you, me, Yusei and Akiza are Signers," Luna said.

"Goodwin told me there were originally five Signers, but that number's increased to six to include the Dragon's Heart –that's mine," Sonja said. "So we still need two more, although I think I know that Jack's a Signer as well. So that means there's one we don't know about yet."

"Your arm was glowing!" Andy said, remembering. "And Luna's was at the same time. Is that how you can recognise each other?"

"Yes," Sonja said. "I was also getting a sharp tinge before and during that Duel between Akiza and Randsborg. Then there was that vision of that Duel between you and Jack, Yusei."

The conversation continued until Robert mentioned the consolation game.

"What happened in the end?" Sonja asked, before she noticed that someone was absent. "And where's Leo?"

"The Duel was a draw," Yusei said. "And Leo vanished right before we left the stadium."

"He was acting pretty weird," Luna said. "But knowing him, he should be home before we get back."

Yusei and Luna left about an hour later, and Sonja heard his Duel Runner start up and pull away from the front of the house.

"Robert, how did you manage to contact Yusei?" Sonja asked. She had been wondering about that for a while. Robert knew that Yusei was her friend.

"When the Duel ended, I went down and saw them leaving for the far end of the stands," he told her. "I found them halfway up the stadium."

"So what are the match-ups for the next round?" Sonja asked.

"Yusei's up against Greiger and Akiza's Duelling someone called Commander Koda."

"That should be a great match-up. I can't wait for tomorrow!" Sonja said.

X

"You're staying home today," Henry told his daughter firmly before he had to leave for work. Sonja was dressed and ready to leave for the Fortune Cup semi-finals, but her father wasn't giving any ground. "I don't want a repeat of what happened yesterday."

There was no point in arguing –Henry wasn't the sort of man who changed his mind once it was made up. The boys had wiped up a big fuss about not being able to see it live, but Robert, Andy and Sonja's father stayed strong.

There was a high-pitched peep from her arm, and Sonja looked around. Sure enough, there was her transparent Petit Dragon –it seemed to be her familiar Spirit.

She spent some time restructuring her Deck. The Five-Headed Dragon had appeared in her Extra Deck while she had been out of it, and she needed to include a few Fusion cards in her Deck now. With that done, she wanted to see how the Tournament was going. Her brothers were sulking in the lounge.

"You do know that there is another way for her to see what was going on at the Fortune Cup without having to be there in person, right?" Sonja asked as she entered the room. The family's HD flat-screen hologram system was sitting on the table, unused. "Dad didn't say anything about not being allowed to watch the action from here."

As the boys went to make some popcorn, she turned it on. As the boys re-entered the room with drinks and the popcorn, the Turbo Duel had already started, and it was Yusei's turn. Greiger was riding the largest Duel Runner Sonja had ever seen, with the front decorated with what looked like a silver ram's skull. And overhead was Grieger's infamous Flying Fortress SKY FIRE that had knocked Leo out of the running.

They watched as Yusei grounded it with a Turbo Booster before Synchro-summoning Junk Warrior. But he didn't manage to keep it on the field as Grieger activated his Chariot Pile's effect to destroy Junk Warrior.

Sonja had never seen Yusei with Turbo Booster in his Deck before, but going by what she knew about it, she guessed Rally must have given him the card at some point between her visit and Yusei's departure from the Satellite Sector.

Yusei managed to wipe out Greiger's Life Points with a combo of a returned Junk Warrior and Armoury Arm in the next round.

"That's it people!" the MC announced. "After six rounds of white-knuckle action, this Duel had roared to a close with a stunning finale! Satellite's shooting star managed to wipe out a come-from-behind win! Take a victory lap, Yusei!"

Suddenly his mike cut out, and Greiger's voice echoed around the stadium. The sphere showed a deserted landscape –the site of Greiger's village that had disappeared. He blamed Goodwin and the Crimson Dragon for the destruction and disappearance of the inhabitants. He mounted his Runner and made a beeline for the Director's box. Yusei managed to block him and both crashed back down to earth. The crowd was sitting in stunned silence.

Projections of Goodwin flickered on all around the stadium.

"People of New Domino City, it's always a terrible tragedy when a gifted Duellist like our very own Greiger suffers a complete nervous and emotional breakdown following such an intense Duel, but rest assured –he'll get all the help he needs."

The silence broke into cheers as Securities stepped forward, but Sonja remained critical. She didn't trust Goodwin –he had forced one of her best friends into this Tournament to find out if he was a Signer by putting her other Satellite friends in harm's way. And she was beginning to get the feeling that the Duellists hadn't been chosen randomly to fight those that Goodwin suspected of being Signers.

X

The third Duel was revealing about Akiza's past –she had been at Duel Academy, had her power ever since the age of eight. It was no surprise when Akiza won the Duel. Sonja felt a little glad that she wasn't at the stadium –she had seen the damage Akiza had done to the stadium.

But she had still felt the pain in her arm as Akiza had summoned her Black Rose Dragon –it looked as though she didn't have to be close to the others to feel the connection. This time, the intensity of the pain had changed –it wasn't just a tinge any more. It was more like someone was driving needles into her skin and holding them there.

The Duel that was coming up this evening was one they all wanted to see –Yusei against Akiza. Sonja was already planning to sneak them into the stadium and leave before the crowd began leaving. That way, her parents should never know they had gone out.

Just as she was getting ready to go, the phone rang.

"Hello," she said, picking it up. The holo-video showed her father was the caller.

"I suppose you and the boys want to see the final match today live?" he said. "If you're feeling alright, you can go down to the stadium."

"I'm feeling fine, Dad," she said. "I'm heading over now."

She headed into the lounge to give the boys the good news and get them ready to go. It didn't take them long to grab their bags and met her in front of the house. While Andy rode behind Sonja, Robert sat in the side-car with all their bags.

Sonja kicked her Duel Runner out of neutral and headed onto the road that led to the Kaiba Dome. It was still full of cars, but her Runner slipped easily through the gaps, even with the side-car attached.

She parked her Runner in one of the garages, securing it with her passkey so that she would be the only one who could access the mainframe and ride off on it. The stadium was full of mutterings as people calmed down after the last Duel and waited for the next one to start.

The final Duel was scheduled to begin with the beginning of the evening, and then the Championship Duel with Jack Atlas would begin soon after. Sonja slipped into the seat that her parents had saved for her. Sonja looked around –this was the emptiest she had ever seen the stadium. It looked as though a lot of the seats had been damaged in the last Duel, and a lot of people had been scared off by Akiza's psychic powers.

The Duel began at a slow pace. Even Sonja could tell that Akiza was preparing for something big as she got four Ivy Counters onto Yusei's field. The crowd had calmed a little, but they were all expecting this Duel to be as destructive as the last.

And they were right. Akiza summoned a Rose Tentacles, destroying first Yusei's Turret Warrior before unleashing a quadruple attack to destroy all four of the Ivy Tokens on Yusei's field and adding another 300 points of damage to the 300 points that the Tokens inflicted.

And with every attack, a vine from Rose Tentacles wiped around Yusei, squeezing him tightly. He was lifted into the air before being slammed back to the ground. His Life points were down to a sparse 1500.

A few turns down the road, Akiza managed to Synchro-summon Black Rose Dragon and unleash an attack on Yusei's Junk Warrior. He was able to keep Junk Warrior around by playing Shield Warrior's effect and then Spirit Force to negate the damage to his life points. Sonja noticed the change in her friend's style immediately –what was he trying to do? The crowd was still insulting her, and it seemed to be making her angrier.

He then replaced his Junk Warrior with Stardust Dragon, causing the crowd to stare in awe. Sonja knew then –Yusei wasn't just trying to win this Duel. He was trying to tell Akzia something.

"In all my years of broadcasting, I have never seen a monster like this!" the MC was shouting as the white and blue dragon appeared in a shower of stars on the field. "If you are watching from home, do not adjust your screen –it is as unbelievable as it appears!"

"I didn't realise Yusei had that in his Deck," Andy said. "It's amazing."

'I thought Jack still had that card,' Sonja thought to herself. It looked as though the two had done a deal –it was obvious that Yusei would keep the card if he won the whole thing. But knowing Jack, he would take it back it Yusei lost. There was a lot on the line in this tournament.

It was pretty obvious that Yusei was trying to convince Akiza to stop the destruction she had caused from her anger towards the crowd. And they weren't exactly helping the situation as they continued to mock her.

"You brought out that dragon to remind of all the pain that detestable mark on my arm has caused me! Why would you do that?" Akiza snapped as she glared at her own arm, clearly not understanding the message Yusei was trying to send. "Do you really believe that because we both have this mark in common, you know what I'm feeling and what I've been through?"

"I'm just showing you're not as different as you think. I don't have to be your enemy; I could be your friend."

"A friend?" Akiza repeated, sounding incredulous. "Who says I want a friend? We both have these stupid marks and no matter what we do, we'll always be outcasts! Don't you get it? Our fate is to be alone. My family, my classmates –everyone I've ever known I've hurt. That's why having friends isn't a choice; it's something that I can never do, and that's why it's so much easier to wear a mask. It's amazing how little you care about other people when you live behind a wall of plaster and paint, even if it is only the size of your face."

She lifted up a white mask with lines of red drawn above and below the eyes. "I Duelled with it, I won with it and I lived it.

"Some have said that it's time to move on, to show my true face to the world because maybe then people wouldn't fear my abilities, maybe then I could led a normal life –or at least as close to normal as people like us can get –maybe even have a friend. But you heard the crowd, didn't you, Yusei? They don't understand me. Eighty thousand people are shouting they're afraid of me!"

"Don't listen to them!" Yusei said. "Listen to me!"

"I need my mask. Why are you trying to help me, Yusei?" Akiza asked, shaking her head and looking away from Yusei

"Because I know you!"

"Who do you know?" Akiza asked, refusing to look at Yusei. "Is it the scared girl, maybe the face behind the mask?"

"I know what it's like to be the outcast," Yusei said. "I'm from the Satellite! Do you think that people here liked what they saw in me? You can't stay afraid; you can't hide behind a mask forever!"

"You're wrong!"

There was a burst of intent pain in Sonja's arm as it shone crimson as Yusei ordered his attack. It was the sharpest pain she had felt yet, and the light coming out her skin was the brightest yet. Down on the field, Akiza and Yusei's marks were glowing as well. Across from the Turner family, Luna's mark was glowing as brightly, and Jack's was reacting in the Director's box. All the Signers were drawing together.

"Don't wear that mask!" Yusei told Akiza as his dragon attacked

Black Rose Dragon was destroyed in a blast from Stardust Dragon, and Akiza covered her face with the mask. The crowd didn't exactly help matters with their jeers.

Akiza used her Dark Tuning to bring her Dragon back from the graveyard before equipping it with Wicked Reborn to ensure it returned each and every round and destroyed all Yusei's cards whenever that happened. Yusei had to use his Dragon's ability to stop the effect and save the stadium, despite the heavy cost of losing the dragon until the end of his turn. Her newly summoned Phoenixian Amaryllis caused Yusei to lose even more points as well as losing his Speed Warrior.

Stardust and Black Rose Dragons returned to the field, as well as the Amaryllis. Yusei switched his Stardust Dragon to Defence position and played Prevention Star to keep the Amaryllis from attacking. Black Rose Dragon returned to Akiza's Deck to be summoned next round before Yusei set a card.

"It looks like Yusei's in a tight spot," Robert said, looking at his sister. He knew she was still feeling the pain in her arm.

"Yusei's been in tight spots before," Sonja said. "He usually always pulls off a come-from-behind win –it's just his style."

Black Rose Dragon returned, and with it another jolt ran through Sonja's arm. But it wasn't as bad as before.

"It's your Sign!" Yusei told Akiza as she winced and covered it.

"I wish it was gone!"

"But it's a part of you. It's a part of all of us. Having this mark doesn't make you a Witch, Akiza, it makes you special. I know other people don't see it that way and I know it hurts, but when you get angry at them, it's like you hate yourself. The pain you feel from that mark is shared by me as well. It's trying to bring us together, to strengthen us. I don't understand it yet, but this pain's somehow uniting us. We have to figure out what it wants, Akiza, but first you must realise that you're not alone, that we're connected. We're all connected. We're all going to have to make a choice; we're going to have to band together in order for this to all make sense.

"Embrace your Dragon. It's beautiful, just like you are under that mask."

"I'm not beautiful," Akiza argued. "People don't like me, and it's this mark that has caused all the suffering I've had to live through!"

"You're right, but if you stay mad then you'll always suffer."

"So just accept it, embrace it, and forget the past? Hate's all I know!" the roller fell from her hair and dropped to the floor. Sonja had seen this before –it had happened during her Duel with Koda. Her powers were now uncontrollable. "This discussion is over!"

Once again Yusei had to remove Stardust Dragon from the field to prevent too much damage from the activation of her Dragon's ability as the stadium was blown apart by the winds she was conjuring up.

"Stop fighting, Akiza! The Dragon inside you was never meant to destroy!"

Prevention Star disappeared as well. Yusei activated his last trap, Cosmic Blast to deal damage equal to Stardust Dragon's attack points straight to Akiza. She dropped to the ground, her mask cracking apart.

A man stepped forward, draping a coat over her shoulders and escorting her away. Yusei had won the tournament. Now he would face off against Jack for the Championship title.

* * *

Next update should be around 15 September -I promise they're going to be more frequent!

Next time: the final rounds begin and a dark future is shown in THE RETURN OF THE CRIMSON DRAGON


	14. Chapter 14

apologies that this is late

this is The Return of the Crimson Dragon -the final chapter of the first arc of Sonja's Tale

* * *

the next arc will begin in the next update, and there won't be a third arc associated with this story.

sit back, enjoy and review. oh, and be nice

I don't own any Yu-Gi-Oh.

* * *

There was an hour's break before the beginning of the Title Match. At last Yusei would face off against his childhood friend.

Sonja still remembered the day that Jack had grown ambitious and stopped coming around to Yusei's hangar. And the day from two years ago when he had stolen Stardust Dragon and Yusei's first Duel Runner before running away was a pretty bitter memory. He had put Rally's life in danger when he had pushed him out to sea in that wooden row-boat.

A while later, the two of them pulled into the starting blocks.

They pulled off, and it didn't take Jack long to destroy Yusei's Shield Wing and gain an early-point lead with Twin Sword Marauder. And not long after that, he summoned out his red Synchro monster that was his ace, the Red Dragon Archfiend. It took to the skies, 3000 Attack points and all.

"Well, that was fast," Sonja said. She hadn't seen Jack summon that dragon in the fourth round before –he used to take more time to get a measure of his opponent first. She supposed it wasn't just his attitude that had changed –it was also his very style of Duelling.

As the Duel continued, Sonja saw purple clouds moving to cover the sky above the stadium. It didn't look too good –it was like an omen, predicting something big was coming. Her arm began to throb.

Yusei didn't waste time summoning Stardust Dragon to the field with Hyper Synchron to increase its Attack points by 800 and protect it from being destroyed in battle, and a pulse of pain announced the change in Sonja's birthmark as both Dragons faced each other again. Before, only the lines had pulsated in colour, leading Sonja to believe that the lines represented the other Signers. As far as she could figure it, the middle one was Jack. Then to the right were Yusei and Akiza, and to the left were Luna and the still-unknown Signer. But now the diamond pattern from which the lines spread was also pulsating.

Jack didn't waste time in taking the Hyper Synchron and using it to re-Summon his Red Dragon Archfiend. The attack left both dragons on the field, but Yusei lost life points due to the difference in power levels. Yusei was already down to 900 Life points, and Jack was sitting at 2300. This was going to be a tough battle.

The clouds weren't just passing now –they had begun to swirl, and crimson lightning was forking down from the sky. Sonja thought she knew what was coming.

And she was right when a huge fork shot down and stopped between the two dragons, forcing them apart. It changed shape until it became a red dragon, bringing together all aspects of the Signs on their arms. Sonja knew it at once –it was the Crimson Dragon.

It roared, a piercing cry, soaring around the track with the Duellists.

The crowd was surprised and so was the MC. He rubbed his eyes to check whether it was real.

"I see it, but I do not believe it!" he exclaimed into his microphone.

"Who summoned that dragon?" Andy asked, leaning forward.

"We did," Sonja told him. For the first time, Andy saw that the glowing mark on his sister's skin was brighter than ever before. "It's made up of my mark and five others."

Suddenly there was a voice in her head, a message. And yet there was something familiar about the voice, as though she had heard it before. 'Legend says that when all Signers are gathered together, the future can be revealed. So, with the power I possess as the fifth Signer, I will now show you what our enemy plans.'

The pain in her arm increased again and the Crimson Dragon sent out ripples of wind that whipped around the stadium as it swept around the stadium, swallowing all those who bore its mark.

Sonja found herself floating in a bubble along a white road that stretched on forever, with stars wiping past. Ahead, she could see Yusei and Jack on their Duel Runners, their Dragons flying above them.

"What is this place?" someone asked from behind her. She turned to see Luna and Akiza travelling the same way she was. "Sonja, you're here too?"

"I think the Crimson Dragon transported us here," Sonja said. "It's got something to do with what's going to happen in the future."

Up ahead, Jack and Yusei were the first to glide over what looked like an ancient temple, five people dressed in white robes standing at the very top with hands raised, while people knelt to them at the bottom.

"They look like the people of the Stars!" Jack said as they passed overhead. Yusei looked back down and saw each carried a mark similar to theirs. But there was no sign of the Dragon Heart –Sonja didn't have an ancient counterpart.

"Those people are all Signers!" Yusei called as they passed by.

"Goodwin told me about these people," Jack said. "He said somehow we're all connected to the Crimson Dragon."

They passed by and continued on their way.

They seemed to be coming up on the coast of New Domino City, the Satellite between them and the City. As they passed overhead, huge purple walls rose on the island city, forming a huge spider that seemed to originate from the very centre of the B.A.D. District. Buildings collapsed as the fires rose.

"What is going to happen? What's causing all this?" Sonja asked. She had never imagined the destruction of the Satellite before, and now it was happening in front of her eyes.

"If that's the future, we need to stop this Duel right now! We've got to get home!" Yusei said, turning to Jack.

"We will, once we finish this," Jack said. Sonja couldn't believe her ears –he still wanted to Duel Yusei, even when he knew what might happen in the future? Didn't he even care? "This is a Duel. The Crimson Dragon won't let either of us go back until one of us wins. Duelling brought us here, and Duelling is going to bring us back home. And whoever wins will show the Crimson Dragon they deserve the power to save the world. And I'm going to be that person." With that, he threw two face-downs.

"You're nuts!" Yusei said, drawing. When he ordered an attack on Red Dragon Archfiend, Sonja thought Jack looked as though it actually hurt. And when Jack returned the favour, Yusei took real damage.

Jack increased the distance between him and Yusei as he activated Overboost, increasing his Speed Counters to eleven. He activated End of Storm, and Yusei sacrificed Stardust Dragon to negate the effect, leaving him wide open. Jack activated Sneak Exploder, which would cause Yusei to lose 500 points when his next turn started. And with Yusei's life points down to 400, he wouldn't survive.

Yusei brought his dragon back and activated Meteor Stream, a Trap Card that would cost Jack 1000 LP. But Jack countered with Crimson Fire, which Yusei negated with Shining Silver Force.

With the end of Jack's turn, he lost ten of his Speed Counters, falling back to behind Yusei.

"How's the new view?" Yusei asked as the two passed. Jack didn't look too happy as Yusei sped ahead of him. "See ya, Jack!"

"Time to take us home!" he said as he drew from his Deck. He activated the Speed Spell Final Attack and doubled Stardust Dragon's attack points. With 5000 Attack points, Stardust was powerful enough to defeat Jack with an additional 2000 points worth of damage.

"I don't want to hurt you, Jack," Yusei said. "But if ending this Duel is the only way to get us home, then I gotta attack."

Stardust Dragon blasted Red Dragon Archfiend with its Cosmic Flare attack and the extra damage smashed into Jack. The Duel ended as Jack's Life Points went down to 0.

They were all suddenly back at the stadium. Jack was thrown from his Runner as it crashed while Yusei skidded to a halt, and Sonja found herself back up in the stands. She saw the holograms of the frozen dragons flicker out of existence, and no one seemed to know what was going on.

"What happened?" Robert asked his sister before turning to check the scoreboard. "Is that really the final score?"

"Yusei beat Jack," Sonja said. "He's the new Champion."

But she knew that this might mean absolutely nothing –compared to the destruction of the Satellite, this seemed insignificant. The island had been her home for years; she wouldn't stand idly by and let it be destroyed. It was up to her and the other Signers, all of them, to stop it.

Robert and Andy just looked stunned.

"IT'S OVER! Yusei is our winner!" the MC shouted into his mike. The sky lit up with fireworks as huge holograms of Yusei flickered on all over the stadium. "From the refuge of refuse he rose; from the slums of Satellite he now reigns supreme! I proudly present New Domino City's newest hero, Yusei Fudo!"

* * *

Next Time -

The Shadows make their first move


End file.
